Lauren Webb – Founder of Yellow Eve

Website: https://yelloweve.co.uk

“Now, more than ever, there is a growing culture of women supporting women. A couple of decades ago there was competition between women for the limited opportunities available, but thankfully that’s shifted.”

“Women are inclusive, collaborative and generous with supporting other women more than ever. That change has happened because female founders and leaders have encouraged others to follow in their footsteps and worked hard to break down barriers by working closely together to celebrate success and call-out challenges. But there is still work to do and International Women’s Day gives a platform for that focus to remain.”

“It’s something I have noticed whilst launching my start-up in the last six months, as well as within my peer group. In some ways I wish Yellow Eve wasn’t necessary and that there was a level playing field in the first place.”

 

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“The reality is, however, that women do face gender-specific challenges in the workplace and that’s not just anecdotal. Research indicates that women struggle more with self-promotion than men, women are paid less than male counterparts (even at graduate level) and women are interrupted much more than men in meetings.”

“I don’t believe that women need ‘fixing’ or changing to fit the workplace. Sadly, however, it’s often a world that fundamentally still favours men succeeding. But we [women] can all take accountability in equipping ourselves with the tools we need to navigate these challenges and exemplify change we want to see. This comes from continually pushing ourselves beyond comfort zones, committing to learning and standing up for what we believe in. That way, the culture will change over time.”

“That’s a tough job to do on our own though, and I think that’s partly why, as women, we thrive on having a strong community and working collaboratively.  My personal experiences in my career definitely led to setting up Yellow Eve. I would have loved to be introduced to career coaching, networking, mentoring years ago; I had no clue what these were. I also craved advice on topics such as negotiating pay rises or managing rude replies from senior staff but didn’t know where to get trusted advice.”

“International Women’s Day seems like it’s gaining momentum in recent years and I will mark it this year in a way that is aligned to Yellow Eve. We’re having a free and open event – The Ultimate Pep Talk – for discussing all things modern working woman.”

“From sex and dating, to assertiveness and calling out misogynistic micro-aggressions, it’ll be a chance for people to move outside of their own ‘echo chambers’.  I’m very excited to bring together women in an informal and friendly environment, where the focus is truly all about self-development and empowerment – and also helping everyone realise that we all struggle with these common work problems.”