Do Better Series.
In 2019 I wrote and published Do Better, a 10 part series that shares real stories of sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination in financial services. The response was, and continues to be, more positive than I anticipated and with a wider reach than I could have imagined.
The original series is below, as well as details on the conversations and policy changes the series sparked. Below that you’ll find answers to common questions I receive about the series.
Part 1: Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Assault in Financial Services
When women in finance meet for the first time, stories of assault, harassment, and discrimination, often come out quickly, sharing notes on pay inequity, degrading experiences at conferences, and inappropriate touching from colleagues and bosses. We share these stories privately; it’s a relief to be able to talk about it.
Part 4: Compounding Bias, How Racism and Other Types of Bias Exacerbate the Effects of Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
Race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship status, and disability all factor into discrimination and harassment. Women in those and other marginalized groups face a compounding factor; racism and other types of bias can exacerbate the negative effects of sexual harassment and discrimination.
Part 7: And Then I Left, The Real Cost of Harassment, Assault and Discrimination in Financial Services
Leaving a firm or a role at an inopportune time can be damaging to a career trajectory. Our industry often wonders why so few women make it to the C-Suite; women opting out of abusive workplaces is an overlooked factor.
Conclusion: Do Better Conclusion: I'm not done.
I have tried to write this “conclusion” installment of the Do Better series at least a dozen times. I want to tell you what I've learned in collecting, writing, and publishing the Do Better series. I want to share what I noticed from readers. I want to answer the common questions I've received. Turns out that there's no way to put a tidy little bow on such an enormous issue.
Part 2: Conferences, Unchecked Bad Behavior Runs Rampant at Financial Services Conferences
When women shared their experiences of harassment and assault with me, I immediately noticed how many of the incidents took place at industry events and conferences. Unchecked bad behavior runs rampant at many financial services conferences.
Part 5: Office Behavior, When Locker Room Talk is Office Talk and Women’s Bodies are for Touching
Harassment and discrimination are a regular part of work life for many women. Some of the incidents are obviously gross and awful. Others may seem small, innocuous or just a funny joke. “Microaggression” is a term often met with derision by people who haven’t been on the receiving end of such comments….
Part 8: The Stories Don’t Stop
As I began publishing the Do Better series, many people reached out to me- friends, colleagues, journalists, strangers. The response was so much more than I expected that I slowed down the pace of publication so I could better manage requests and correspondence as they came in.
While it's hard to quantify the precise influence of the series, many forward thinking financial conferences now have codes of conduct that prohibit sexual harassment and assault, for example:
Morningstar
XYPN (predates series)
Cambridge Investment Research
Inside Fixed Income
Want your conference added to this list? Send me your policy.
Want to add a policy but don’t know where to start? Here’s a sample.
Part 3: Pay Equity,Pervasive Gender Based Discrimination Still Exists
Despite advances in hiring and pay practices, women working in financial services in the US are paid less on average than their male counterparts and are underrepresented at the senior leadership and board levels. The statistics are even bleaker for women of color.
Part 6: Reporting, When Reporting Doesn't Help
Women who experience harassment, assault, and discrimination often don’t report the episodes for fear of retribution. Some women rightly fear retaliation that could ruin their career or bring mental or physical harm to themselves and their families. This fear of reporting silences victims and allows a culture of harassment and assault to continue.
Part 9: A Peek In My Inbox
As I’ve been publishing the Do Better Series, I’ve been receiving many messages from women who are grateful that this series is shining light on their lived experiences in financial services, and sometimes they share one or two of their own experiences with me. I’m sharing this anonymized note, with permission…
The series inspired thousands of conversations, both public and private. Some of the dozens of public conversations and stories:
'This is how we will break the culture of sexual harassment', Ann Marsh, Financial Planning
Do Better with Sonya Dreizler, Dasarte Yarnway, Young Money Podcast
Candid Conversations, Kate Healy, AdvoKate
Not seen, now heard, Tobias Salinger, The Invest Podcast
Women's Stories Spotlight the Need to 'Do Better', Janet Levaux, ThinkAdvisor
FAQ
How did the Ken Fisher incident inspire this series?
It didn't! I started researching the series in March of 2019, and had most of it written by September of 2019. I was sitting on the articles, afraid that publishing the series might mean the end of my career in finance. In early October, I was at a conference where investor Ken Fisher made inappropriate remarks. Along with two other attendees I publicly condemned the remarks. The ensuing media frenzy was a bit overwhelming, and while I didn't want to focus on this one person's remarks, I did want to use the media megaphone to call attention to the larger themes of gender based harassment and discrimination in finance. So I published the series and moved the focus to the impact harassment and discrimination has on women in finance.
What were some of the similarities you found in the Do Better stories of sexual harassment?
Women’s fear of telling the stories, despite being the victims, not the perpetrators. Men's surprise that "these things actually happen." The themes of the stories themselves can be seen as the subject header for each title. Additional big picture learnings are summarized in installment 10.
What about solutions? How can I help?
Actionable solutions for both companies and individuals are included at the end of each installment, and are tied to the theme of the article.
Can I share my story with you?
You are welcome to email it to me if you would like me to hear it. I don't have plans to create more installments but hearing women's experiences informs all of the advocacy, writing, speaking, and consulting work I do. So yes, please send if you want to!
But what if I want to go public with my story?
If you have a story you want to share publicly and want to see if it is something a media outlet would consider, Mike Thrasher, Susan Antilla, and Ann Marsh are reporters I trust who write in this space.
I’m being harassed at work now. What should I do?
This guide from BetterBrave has a helpful list of options.