International Women's Day: Interview with our founder Helen

Happy International Women’s Day! This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias. Unconscious or deliberate bias means that its harder for women to move ahead.

Did you know that there are only 8 of the UK’s top 100 companies are headed by women?(1).Did you also know that “there is a 10% gap between men’s and women’s average hourly rates, and a 30% hap when you compare women’s part-time average hourly rate to men’s full time hourly rate”. (2)

In honour of International Women’s Day, we chatted to our founder Helen on her experiences as a woman in business....

What made you decide to go self employed?

Starting a business isn't for everyone but I had an urge to create a business of my own for as long as I can recall. When I had children I felt my options were very limited as a woman returning to work with a young family and I didn't feel I could work alongside playing an active role at home.

I think Covid has proven this IS possible... not easy, but possible. I think giving women choices during this stage of life allows women to stay in careers they otherwise may have chosen to leave. Many women now work away from family and don't have a support network in place to meet rigid working hours / childcare hours. Add a commute and travel on top of this and women can be forced to leave careers they have built up in pursuit of more 'family friendly' roles either locally or with possibility for remote working.

I think the topic of inclusivity and a bias-free workplace needs to be addressed at industry level and that the expectations for women to take a dominant role at home needs to be reconsidered. Looking at male dominated industries is a great place to start and encouraging girls to consider STEM subjects at school will make a difference but reducing the bias at work so that men can be more active in home life without impacting their career will in turn improve gender equality in the workplace.

We should celebrate the strengths of women and consider how we can keep talented young women in work and support them into senior roles - this means making allowances for family choices and increasing our focus on the wellbeing of women at work so that women feel supported. I feel quite passionate to grow a business that can support women in these areas.

Not only do we need to reduce the gap in our top companies (with only eight of the UK’s top 100 companies headed by women) we need to address the gap and increase to ratio of female entrepreneurs. According to a survey by Tide one in five women have considered starting a business, but we need to offer support for women to take this leap with funding and training. In my lifetime the number of self-employed women has doubled and the gap has ever so slightly reduced but we can improve upon this, not by being equal but by recognising the specific challenges women in business face and trying to eliminate some of these challenges.

How do you think covid has impacted the workplace from a gender perspective?

I think we can celebrate the changes Covid has brought to the workforce in this country from a gender perspective. Covid has rocketed us forwards in terms of working arrangements and policies, cementing flexible and hybrid working models. This has meant gigantic shifts for women in work, and men now have increasingly active roles home which will in-turn help women.

It has also brought wellbeing in the workplace to the forefront and forced companies to offer packages that consider the important issues people face in modern day families. Flexible working requests are now becoming considered when they previously would have been turned down. I think many employees welcome this change and are choosing a hybrid working solution alongside partners so the fact that this is country wide is key here.

What have your experiences been in the workplace, did you notice any gender biases?

I worked in a very female dominated industry and my mum always encouraged me to believe I had all the choices open to me so I didn't feel any bias throughout my career. I didn't feel like I wouldn't be offered a role because I was female but once I had a family I felt I didn't have options to climb the career ladder any more. There were no choices, only severe sacrifices.

What do you want the workplace to look like when your daughter enters the workforce?

I want my daughter to have more choices and support and for wellbeing to be more of a focus in the workplace. I hope for equality for men and women for family life and work life to coexist without huge sacrifice. I want parents to have the choice to be active in their children's life while playing a leading role in the workplace. I think 'family wellbeing' in schools and communities needs to be addressed to allow children to thrive in and out of school. More opportunities for children to sample wonderful sports and activities after school and in a school environment and for this to be open to more families financially.

A big thanks to Helen for taking part in this interview.