Conditions determined by society, family, and school, prevent women from living their lives without inhibition, and getting what they truly deserve. The inner voice can often lead both men and women to question whether they are truly worthy and deserving, but it tends to manifest itself more strongly in women. The doubts that often plague women tend to come in the form of questions they ask themselves that sound a bit like “Aren’t you asking for too much? Can’t you just make do with what you already have?”, and “Are you sure you are good enough?”. These questions often have a big impact on all aspects of their lives, but are particularly prevalent in the workplace. Women do not feel as though they have the right to ask, let’s say, for a salary increase, or a promotion, and they have a hard time getting recognition for their efforts.
The authors tell us that the first thing women can do to break this pattern is to stop listening to that inner voice. They must recognise that it is lacking all objectivity, that it is merely an expression of a society which has not adapted to change, or ‘learned’ to accept a more equal system…at least, not yet. So, the inner voice comes from outside and is then internalised, and it is neither authentic nor credible. Listening to an inner voice that questions their skills and abilities can cause women extensive emotional and financial damage. Many women who are used to seeing themselves in the lower ranks of the workplace, never learn to negotiate their position or learn to relate to their superiors effectively. Either they don’t ask for anything at all, or they don’t ask for enough because they do not feel that they deserve it. More importantly, they do not learn to negotiate, which is a real problem because it gets in the way of them climbing the career ladder. While most men manage to push themselves forward, and generally recognise their worth, women tend to be less assertive, and often end up feeling underestimated and overlooked.
Fortunately, thanks to a few simple strategies, women can learn to deal with this problem, and begin to build a profitable and fulfilling professional life.