What Mad Men Teaches Us About Workplace Equity for Female Leaders

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Mad Men, which follows a New York City marketing agency in the 1960s. It has great characters, plot twists, and the costumes are a lot of fun. An aspect that’s highlighted throughout the show is women in the workplace in the 60s. At the beginning of Season 1, all the women at the agency are secretaries. The way they’re treated is eye-opening to say the least, with many interactions spanning from cringe-worthy to shocking by today’s standards.

I recommend watching the show for the amazing story, but also for the informative context it provides female business leaders today. We can take that historical context and look forward, asking ourselves, “Where do we want things to be for our daughters and the next generation of leaders? What am I doing now to make that a reality?”  

I once heard someone say that there are two types of female leaders. The first type makes it to the top, slams the door shut and holds it closed so no one else can get in. The second makes it to the top, plants herself in front of the door, and holds it open for as many other people as possible. For female readers — you know which type you should be.

For male readers, you absolutely play a pivotal role. Here’s a story I love to share:

I worked for a gentleman in a president role. Reporting to a new female CEO, he brought his two daughters into the office and introduced them, saying, “This is daddy’s new boss, Alice. Can you say hello?” I spoke with him afterwards, and he said it was important to him that his girls see that their dad could report to a woman — showing that they too could run a company one day.

I thought that was fantastic, and I’ve always remembered that day. Male leaders shouldn’t discount how much of a difference they can make with interactions like this one.

There is still much work to be done, of course. But I do want to acknowledge how much progress has been made. Several years ago, I was talking to my then-ten-year-old niece. She’s always been very interested in business. She became intrigued by all the different roles and teams, asking things like, “What do you do? Who’s your boss and what do they do? Who does your boss report to? Who runs the company?” and so on.

I listed all the names from me to our CEO without really thinking about it, and she said, “Aunt Emily, all of those are girl’s names. That’s so cool!” She was right. The reporting line from me to our CEO was all women — and indeed, it was cool. 

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