Woman and leader: twice the effort?

Woman and leader If you'd like, you can take the box or move closer.

Oh, no, it's right here.What's this?Oh, it looked like a… It looked like a lizard, but no… It's the cape. What's this?

Is it from Star Wars?Oh, but she's missing the gun.- She doesn't have a gun.

Don't worry.Don't worry."Woman and leader.Twice the effort?" What a question.

I'm not sure it's twice the effort, but there's definitely effort involved.

I think that we, as women,have many things in our favor, but I also think that many times we have double the work just for being women.

You know what's the worst thing?I think the worst… How do you say it?

It's the opposite of a compliment. The worst…

The worst thing anyone has ever said to me was when I applied for a position competing with a male colleague. I got the job and he said to me,instead of congratulating me or wishing me success,he said: "You only got the job because you're a woman." I think that was the worst thing anyone has ever said to me.

Because we, as women, make sure that when we apply for a job,we meet all the requirements.

We always want to be sure that we know exactly what we're going for,that we have exactly the necessary skills, that we have examples to show that we've achieved the required abilities.

Hearing someone tell us that we only got the position because we're women is like throwing away everything we've achieved:the years of work, the years of dedication,the years of development. All for nothing.

I think that's very hard.Another thing that's also very difficult for women is that many of us want to be mothers and when we are, we spend six months, a year,on maternity leave,depending on the country we're in.

And our male colleagues often keep working,or they get a week of paternity leave.

So, in a way, we're gone for six months, for good reasons.

They're very good reasons, I adore my daughter, I would do it all over again.

But we're away from the corporate world for a period of time that,in some way, holds us back or delays our progress.

Therefore, when we decide to become mothers, it has to be a decision often made not only together with our husbands, with our other halves,but also with the company, to understand what the best moment in our careers is to make such an important decision,to be away for six months or more.

Somehow, it doesn't affect us as much if it's coordinated with the company.

Ideally, I think that for the benefit of the child, the mother and the father: maternity and paternity leave should actually be the same.

I think it would benefit the child, it would benefit the father,and it would benefit the mother. Also us, women, because, in a way,we'd have more support. In terms of career progression, it would be more equal.

When I decided to become a mother, I was lucky to be able to work with Microsoft to find the perfect moment: a moment when I was ready for a new challenge,ready to leave Brazil and take on a new professional opportunity.

So I took six months off after accomplishing everything I had set out to do in Brazil, and while I was away, it turned out to be to look for a new challenge in my career. When I returned,I started in a new role, in a new country, and continued developing my skills.

But I agree that, as women,we often have to prove ourselves more,we have to work harder,because there are still many places where we have to prove a lot before getting a seat at the table.