Episode 102: When Women Work For Free (re-release)

“A closed mouth don’t get fed.”

— Adrienne Graham's dad

“There is an expectation in some ways that women are going to give, that we’re going to be supportive. It’s how we’re raised, and the messages we get.”

— Kathy Caprino

This week we're re-visiting an episode I first put out in 2014. I still feel strongly about this topic. Too often women are asked to give their services for nothing, and too often we comply. The rest of the time we tend to undervalue ourselves and charge less for our work than we should. I should know, I've done it a lot. This show with Adrienne Graham and Kathy Caprino went a long way to getting me comfortable charging for my time and expertise. I hope it does the same for others.

You can get more links on this topic at the original episode page.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 101: Your Work, Your Private Life

“I’ve always been quite guarded with revealing details about my personal life as I wouldn’t really want that information to be out there, out of my control.”

— Marie, UK listener

“I don’t want to go out of my way to play mental games and think, how can I do my part to make sure this person is comfortable by my constructing a false reality?”

— Dorie Clark

dorie clark

The boundaries between work and home are fraying all the time. We spend work time doing personal stuff, and time at home working. We talk about our personal lives at work too, and vice versa. But some of us aren't comfortable sharing much about our home lives with colleagues - we like our boundaries. Yet not sharing can put us at odds with a world where everyone's connected on social media. My first guest Marie guards her privacy, but wonders if she's hurting her career by being circumspect. My second guest, Dorie Clark, has similar experiences, but a different take on openness at work.  

You can also read a transcript of the show. 

I want to hear from you after you've heard this one - as she says in the show, Marie is keen to get other people's takes on her situation. Please post below if you have any experiences to share.

Further reading:

Human Rights Watch issued a report last year on LGBT rights in Kazakhstan.

Here's a BBC report on the latest poll on Nigerian attitudes to same-sex relationships. 

And here's more information and a photo of that sign at the airport in Accra, Ghana.