Women unite & speak up! The female perspective on things is more important than ever!
Women unite & speak up!
The female perspective on things is more important than ever!
By Ellen Smith
According to a popular saying, you either love something, you leave it or you change it. – Wilma Haeusler decided on change.
A look at the Forbes list of the 100 most innovative leaders shows 99 men and only one woman! Women are still paid less than men and all the years of flower-power, bra-burning, emancipation and working women have not changed the perception that women are NOT innovators.
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Yet they truly are. Wilma herself is one of them and an active ambassador for innovation. So – at the age of 50, she created the Female Innovators Club. Change and empowerment has been a common theme in the Wilma’s life. Whether in her studies of politics, philosophy and sociology, or in her business career as communication consultant. She has always taken pride in empowering people – and will continue to do so with this new adventure.
As an additional project, she set out to write a book on female innovators with the title “we are women – we are innovators!” portraying 25 women around the world and their signature innovation case.
Tell us more about Female Innovators Club. What is the mission?
Innovation is key to a prosperous and sustainable future of mankind. In the current situation with the “world on fire” disruptive ideas and innovators are needed. You need multiple perspectives, male and female, to solve the problems we are currently facing. Leaving out 50% of society in finding a solution will simply not deliver the best solution. The female perspective on things is more important than ever!
Unfortunately, women are often not perceived as being innovative. The Female Innovators Club was founded to change that. It is a gathering of like-minded women, offering networking opportunities and a platform to exchange experiences. On top of those rather socialising and empowering aspects, it offers a stage for female innovators to make their voices heard.
It also offers women a possibility to function as role models for future generations even if they have no resources for time-consuming mentoring programs.
Why are you interested in women empowerment?
After more than 50 years of emancipation, flower-power, bra-burning and working women the male perspective on the world is still defined as “standard”. There is no equal pay and a look at the Forbes list of the 100 most innovative leaders shows 99 men and only one woman! – and that was not published in the 70s, but shockingly in 2019!
Personally, I find this enraging. I grew up on a farm where I worked as hard as my brothers, I helped fix machines etc. and was treated the same. There were equal rights for us, although they did some of the physical hard work. Only when I started studying and working my first job did I realise that women were treated differently. They had to be good looking, smiling, friendly and were paid less. I have a strong sense for fairness and that is just disturbing me. Therefore, I want to change it. Women deserve equal rights, equal treatment, equal opportunities. It’s nothing to do with male bashing, it’s just maths… We are 50% of the population – we have every right to ask for equal treatment.
As you know are audience are women. What are your messages for them?
Women unite! Do not allow others to divide us. We are different, we come in many colors, we have different social backgrounds, we have different opinions and that is fine! But if a woman asks for your support – help her. We should support each other, not be jealous or fight each other!
And we should not be afraid. We should be taking risks: if we support each other we will be able to handle any tough challenges.
Tell us more about the program ‘’Think Big and Go Global’’?
Think Big and Go Global is a wonderful program set up by Mirela Sula, pushing women to outgrow themselves. It is so fascinating what the support and faith of one woman can do to your self-esteem and ambition. Her program guides you to your personal goal and helps you to realise your ambitions to reach for the sky.
