Spoiler

Today, a male person wrote an article about why hiring women is not just the right thing to do but actually makes business sense for his company. We are all clapping and cheering for him.

I am pleased he wrote this article and he seems like a very excellent person. I think we would be friends and allies. The company involved is really progressive and I honour them for their promoting of women to positions of authority and influence, and for the women there helping one another up.

But.

Women have been saying this, writing this, shouting this, singing this, painting this, protesting this problem for as long as I have been alive, which is now a rather long time.

That a woman selling products to women might like to see a woman or two on her agency team isn't a "spoiler" to the half of us who are ourselves women. To the half of us who watched, for  years, as male after male was groomed for leadership and woman after woman was .... well, was not.

I have had to address the ghostly lady presence time and time and time and time again and again and again. Practically every client. Every presentation. Every prospectus. Four countries. Every "Our Team" gallery of mostly white guys. "Hey, you need a woman there," I would say, and one or two would be dragged up for the occasion. After a "hey, you're right."

Spoiler: OF COURSE I'M RIGHT, YOU KNUCKLEHEAD.

<applause>