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‘Why?’
‘Because once you get someone to buy in they’re going to want to have control of it. That’s just the way it’s done. They’ll be looking to keep you on in some capacity—’
‘A figurehead?’ I supply with a shake of my head.
‘Perhaps a little more than that, but essentially.’
‘And is that what you’d do? Hypothetically,’ I insert quickly, not wanting him to think I’m hitting up for cash.
His demeanour doesn’t change. ‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because from what I can see, it’s your skill and talent that has turned She-Shakes into what it is. Only someone incredibly short-sighted would sideline you. Talk about a waste of talent.’
I feel as though my heart could burst right out of my chest. I know I’m great at what I do but hearing his succinct, businesslike appraisal of my skills, almost as though I’m one of the assets he’s evaluated alongside the She-Shakes offering, makes me smile like an idiot.
He pulls a face. ‘Don’t look as though that’s news to you.’
‘It’s just...in all the negotiations, no one’s ever mentioned that. I feel as though I’m seen as an encumbrance.’
He shoots his brows up.
‘And that’s exactly the point of She-Shakes. Women should know their potential and proclaim it proudly. We need to demand a raise, push for the promotion, be aggressive about our skills. And I don’t feel ready to just sell up and move on. I mean, I know I would eventually do something else, and God knows I wouldn’t have to work in a long time but it’s not really about that.’
‘No,’ he agrees with a small nod. ‘Who are you negotiating with?’
I list a few of the principle tech companies. He lets out a whistle. ‘Impressive. And they’re offering a decent amount?’
I reach for my phone and pull up a contract, handing it over to him. He takes a few minutes to read it—I appreciate his thoroughness.
‘You’re getting a lawyer to consult on this?’
‘Of course.’
‘Because there’s a few clauses I’d watch out for there.’
Again, he waits for me to ask the question rather than foisting the information on me. I appreciate that.
‘Such as?’
He goes through the contract, flagging very similar concerns to the ones I had.
‘Yep, that’s my feeling too.’
‘How’d you come up with this idea?’
That’s easy, but the answer isn’t one I’m willing to give over. Seeing my mum in such a harmful relationship fired me up—I had to do something. If I couldn’t empower her, perhaps I could empower other women, whether they needed support in their private life or professional.
‘I got sick of seeing women passed over for opportunities they are more than capable of.’ I sip the wine, relaxing as he releases the tensions in my feet. ‘We have this idea that we’re this modern, egalitarian, enlightened society but it’s still women who tend to do the bulk of the housework, women who tend to take career breaks to raise children, women who take jobs for which they’re over-qualified but which offer flexible, school-friendly hours. Women who take a back seat in meetings, who hesitate to enumerate their skills because it might be seen as boastful. It’s like we’re conditioned from birth to accept that’s just “the way it is” and I’m sick of it.’
He’s looking at me with an expression that’s half amusement and half—I think—admiration.
‘To highlight my point, I could feel tempted to apologise for that outburst because, as a woman, I’ve been programmed to feel that speaking so frankly is somehow bossy or rude. And it’s not. That’s the damned truth. Sure, there are exceptions, and I’m not saying things are what they were in the eighties or nineties. But it’s more dangerous now because we have this insidious idea that we’re living in an “equal” society, but for the majority of women true equality is still a long way off.’
‘And your app addresses that?’
‘My community addresses it.’
