Rising Tide Blog

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an annual event which aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women worldwide. Fuelled by women’s equality movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, this year’s IWD event features the #PressForProgress campaign – a global momentum striving for gender parity and an end to the pay gap.

In celebration of IWD, Rising Tide Financial Service’s freelance copywriter Kellie George discusses her own experience with the pay gap and shares her ideas on how women like her can forge their own paths and build careers of uncapped potential.

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In the early days of my career, I found myself working in a series of female-dominated environments. While back then, the pay gap wasn’t something I was very aware of, it was something that became increasingly apparent to me as my career progressed.

After spending some time in the health services industry, I later went on to work in marketing and communications roles of organisations within the same sector. While the health services industry is widely recognised as a female-dominated ‘pink collar’ profession, I learned that the majority of executives and CEOs within the field were in fact male.

For me, this always stood out as an unbalanced representation of the workforce driving the industry, but the same is true across many sectors. Usually, the only explanation offered is that women who might otherwise work their way up to these roles are slowed down by family responsibilities.

While I wholeheartedly believe that every parent deserves the opportunity to put their careers on pause for family matters, the fact that women are still so widely underrepresented in the top positions makes me wonder whether we as a society are doing enough to support them to continue their careers at the same pace as their male counterparts.

Although it’s, of course, important to take action on this issue, and strive to ensure that women receive the same opportunities as men, perhaps we could also benefit from widening our view. Rather than trying to fit a square peg through a round hole, I believe we could benefit from looking at the landscape of employment a little more innovatively.

Technological advancements are changing the way we view traditional employment, and right now there is more opportunity than ever for people who are willing to put themselves out there and try something different.

In late 2016, I myself took the plunge into freelance work and launched my own copywriting business under the name Content Collective – something that was both terrifying and exhilarating.

While it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I’m now in a position where I can pick my own hours, set my own rates, and choose to work with businesses that align to my own personal values, like Rising Tide Financial Services.

Fairly early on in my solo career, I was fortunate enough to connect with Rising Tide’s Founder and Managing Director Chris Browne and have since developed a fantastic relationship with Browney and the rest of the Rising Tide team – where together we’ve been able to produce some great work and share some important stories.

Ultimately, the future is freelance, and by thinking outside of the box I believe that men and women alike can fulfil their family commitments without having to compromise their careers.

“If you don’t have a seat at the table, bring your own chair.” – Midy Aponte

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Thinking about going freelance or undertaking a business venture of your own? Rising Tide Financial Services can help you put strategies in place to secure your financial future. To find out more, get in touch with one of our friendly financial advisers by calling 03 370 330 287 today.