Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Mary Wollstonecraft
With the backdrop of the French Revolution, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. She argued that women are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men. The company name is about honoring trailblazers of the past and present. At Wollstonecraft Coaching, our mission is to support and empower leaders who aspire to challenge the status quo and push for a more inclusive world.
"I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves."
-Mary Wollstonecraft
Without alteration there can be no improvement
I was on the fence about graduate school, so I decided to take a graduate class at a college that had just begun admitting females into their undergraduate program. The course was Foundations in American Education, and we were assigned a research paper on influential educators in America. It was shocking to realize that the list of research-approved individuals, which was provided by the professor, did not contain any women. I immediately pointed out the error to my professor, but his response was dismissive. He tried to argue that no woman had ever made significant contributions to education. But I wasn't going to let this slide. I began lecturing the class on the trailblazing work of Emma Willard, refusing to back down.
After much persuasion, my professor finally agreed to let me write my research paper on Willard. As the class came to a close, I handed my professor a list of influential women who have contributed to the field of education. It was a small but important step to expand his knowledge and encourage inclusivity. Discovering the truth by building on previous discoveries, nanos gigantum humeris insidente, can open a door of wisdom and strength for everyone.
Women will be the mighty catalyst in solving our modern global challenges. Once again, we all need to rewrite or alter the story that society has given women. The new narrative will make space for every girl and woman to become the fullest expression of herself for in the words of Emma Willard: “Without alteration, there can be no improvement.”
Our Why: The Future Mosaic
Challenging the Status Quo
In 1911, Anna Howard Shaw wrote, "The old battle cries no longer stir our souls. Give us new banners for our times, let us have new leaders, and what we need most is undoubtedly a new battle cry to stir the dormant souls of American men and women." Carefully planned, the first national suffrage parade was on March 3, 1913, overlapping the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson. The message was clear; you can’t ignore us.
Women in 2024
August 18, 2020, marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. Today, women working full time in the U.S. are paid 82 cents to every dollar earned by men. Black women are paid 61% of what non-Hispanic white men are paid. Out of 535 seats in Congress, women hold 146 and in state legislators' women hold only 32.2% of the elected seats. In 2018, Goldman Sachs studied gender diversity and found that women make up about 40% of all employees – but just 6% of CEOs.
The Future Mosaic
"I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic.” Suffragette Alice Paul explained, “Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end." What would the future mosaic look like if each woman courageously stepped into their power? Leadership coaching is a proven way to build sustainable change in people and organizations. The collaborative coaching process moves a client closer to goals and results they desire.