The battle of the sexes, redefined
A recent article in the Times makes for interesting reading and, in essence, concludes that womankind will be the planet’s saviour (if it isn’t already too late!). “Just as there is a wise woman behind every successful man, or so the saying goes, there is also one behind most ethical businesses”, the article begins, covering the WEBAs.
The Women in Ethical Business Awards (WEBA) aim to give recognition to trailblazing women who are doing business in a way that benefits people or the environment… and there appears to be a wealth of such women to choose from in the run up to the awards, which were launched 4 years ago. So the challenge is firmly laid down; can the men rise to the (ethical) occasion?
According to the article, we’ll find it difficult. Apparently we men are only motivated by money, whereas women are motivated by higher ideals and goals. So, that should be an easy challenge for us to meet and surmount; after all, it is, by implication, the men that have landed every government across the globe with enough debt (after bailing out all the negligent, men-run financial institutions) to ensure that there is precious little of that left lying around to stir our commercial passions. We ought, therefore, to be seeing more men getting active and ethical about now…
But we’re not. It helps, says Juliet Davenport, founder of Good Energy, that women often know the market. The ethical sector is female-led, especially in “softer” areas such as fashion, food and beauty. I’m not sure I buy into that argument; in the first place, she is running a company that provides renewable energy to more than 25,000 households so, if women can be successful in some of these “harder” sectors, surely we can think of men who are successful in the “softer” sectors.
For my part, I’m meeting with plenty of men who are anxious to be more active in this ethical area, encompassing sustainability as well as ethical business practice. The thing I notice, however, is that they are, almost without exception, of a younger generation than old salts like me.
And perhaps that’s part of the explanation; until the rise of the era of the metrosexual male, we were all stuck in the old male=hunter/gatherer, woman=homemaker/carer paradigm. Now that men are somewhat more free to be caring (whether personally or planet-wise) without fear of peer ridicule, there are more men who are taking an interest. And from that standpoint, since most global businesses, and certainly the ones in the financial and manufacturing sectors, continue to be led by men, perhaps our commercial future is still redeemable.
Whether this is the answer or not, the fact remains that the 5th WEBAs firmly challenge men to prove that they too can do the right thing. It would please me beyond words in this age of diversity, inclusion and discrimination (positive or negative) to see the launch this time next year of the MEBAs.
So, take a moment to ponder what you can do to redress this apparent sexual imbalance and show the women that we men can also be ethical, environmentally responsible and show a little foresight; that we are not just money-hungry, masters-of-the-universe wannabees.
In the words of Derek Faye, “How very dare they”!
