“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”

Malala Yousafzai

The week starts off with a list robust

Of things to do- she gets cracking, but first

An adequate dose of caffeine she needs

To get her galvanized into action indeed

The list is long, but in her view

It is exciting to have more things to do

It brings out her efficient, no-nonsense way

She means business, her manner conveys

Working without breaks, targets she exceeds

By making secondary her personal needs

In a brutally competitive, male-driven sphere

She has chalked out her strategy, her goals are clear

She arrives early to work, late she leaves

To be on equal footing with the men, she believes

Her industrious and dedication would certainly

Lead her to the top echelons eventually

 

 

Whether she was naive to think so

I cannot say, I do not know

But in this world with its warped ways

Where discrimination occurs in myriad ways

Her workaholic tendencies were misconstrued

And given a sexual context, this was so not true!

Credit for her productivity was claimed

By someone more powerful, with a “Mr.” to his name

As you can guess, the opposite gender acted in collusion

To sabotage her chance of landing the coveted promotion

 

She was angry, hurt, disappointed

She blamed herself until someone pointed

To her that it had nothing to do 

With anything except her gender- sad but true

 

Unfortunately this story is not unique

Women are subject to unfair critique

In their workplace, especially if they are 

Good at what they do, they don’t  get far

 

 

She is learning to fight her battles, learning to say “no”

I hope one day she shall be the CEO!