While pursuing your interests, did you meet any voices against you?
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I have had men tell me that I shouldn’t be putting my career ahead of my family.
Have you ever felt uncomfortable because of your gender?
When I got a promotion, I had several male colleagues belittling me because they were intimidated that I would know
about them in the company.
How’s the environment of your company?
It’s definitely biased toward men. I have a female CEO, and even she’s biased toward men. She displayed certainly
levels of sexism and I think that women can be just as sexist as men, if not more.
Have you experienced or witnessed sexual assault in the workplace?
I have had men touch me on my lower back which is technically a hug but it’s improper in a professional setting. I have
had elder male executives trying to date me so they would offer to do a favor for me, which I refused. I always refused
these because I had made my own career in my life. I have also witnessed men flirt with young female interns in an
inappropriate way. In one instance, the male colleague had a relationship with a female intern that was inappropriate,
and he, I believe, was fired. When the power dynamic isn’t balanced, that’s where the problems arise.
Have you ever addressed these issues and what’s their reaction?
Yes, I had. They were embarrassed but also angry at being publicly shamed. But that’s not my problem, that’s theirs.
What do you hope to change for other women in this field in the future?
I would like to see more women of color, queer women and women with diverse backgrounds. The establishment of
journalism is based on white man and women, and that needs to change. Journalism has been more aggressive in terms
of adding diversity. I think journalists are thinking people, but it takes generation or two to make change within an in-
dustry. If journalism started twenty years ago really actively recruiting women and people of color, that would mean so
many things today. I also want to say that not all women are taught to be smart and articulate. And to be a journalist,
more women need to be made comfortable with being smart and articulate.
“ It’s imperative that
American companies
and organizations have
more women in top
leadership. It’s like
world-crisis level and it
needs to happen.