Mentors, Men, and Leaning Into Closed Doors (Video)

Written by Areva Martin and Narrated by Marie T. Russell.

As the world navigates the complexities of gender inequity and the systems that hold it in place, individual women are trying to navigate their own industries. Hard work alone will not earn recognition from the system. Often, you need connections, clout, or a mentor to open doors for you. Those "doors"—including jobs, projects, or speaking opportunities—have been shut to women for decades.

Just as they hold the power, men hold the keys. Women often find themselves searching for a male mentor who can (metaphorically) open doors for them. You can't open a door simply by "leaning in" to it.

Although men see the benefits of mentorship, they are not likely to offer these opportunities to women. For decades, this was due to the lie that women were inferior, or that our value only came from our beauty or ability to care for the home. In the post-#MeToo era, men find themselves withholding mentorship opportunities for other reasons. They don't want to get "canceled" or "#MeToo-d," or they simply refuse to believe that gender inequity exists!

This creates a cycle of women fruitlessly leaning into closed doors. Worse, it enforces the lies we have been told about our inferiority to men and our "place" in the home or on the lower rungs of corporate America. In order to discuss solutions to problems of discrimination, we must think bigger than legislation. We must dismantle the system that has encouraged this discrimination and create...

Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

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Ladies, Leadership, and the Lies We've Been Told
by Areva Martin

Anyone who is looking to move forward in their career will gain insight and enjoy anecdotes from Areva Martin’s Awakening, which calls out the lies told by a patriarchal society and calls in all people to work toward a more equitable one. A self-help book and feminist manifesto all in one - Awakening is a call for action and gender equity in a post-covid world.

Awakening goes beyond the idea that women should ask for a seat at the table. Areva Martin makes the case for women to tear down the building, build anew, and choose tables that make room for everyone. She does this by exposing five lies told by society that have kept women held back for so long. By further exploring the problem and offering solutions that benefit all people, Awakening gives women in all careers a path toward a more equitable world.

For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

AREVA MARTIN is an award-winning attorney, advocate, legal and social issues commentator, talk show host, and producer, and a CNN/HLN legal analyst. She currently hosts The Special Report with Areva Martin and the radio talk show Areva Martin Out Loud. A Harvard Law School graduate, she founded Martin & Martin, LLP, a Los Angeles-based civil rights firm, and is the CEO of Butterflly Health, Inc., a mental health technology company.

A best-selling author, Areva has dedicated her fourth book, Awakening: Ladies, Leadership, and the Lies We've Been Told, to helping women worldwide recognize, own, and assert their limitless power. Learn more at arevamartin.com.

More books by this Author.