The Internet has without doubt changed things for working women–in many ways, at least temporarily, for the worse. Until a few months ago, I worked at a European Internet start-up. I originally took the job because I liked the idea of working with open-minded, entrepreneurial types who were creating new business paradigms. Almost immediately, however, I was confronted with a harsh reality of Europe’s New Economy: many start-ups were filled with people from the Old Economy, namely investment bankers and management consultants. They often came from cultures that aren’t particularly female-friendly, and they brought those cultures with them. Testosterone levels were high. Team spirit was minimal. The possibility for flexible work was trumped by an Old Economy, knee-jerk preference for face time. “A lot of people simply carry over old work practices to new jobs,” says Jayne Buxton, co-founder of flametree.co.uk, which deals with work-life issues. “When you mix old habits with new pressures, you get an extremely stressful combination.”
Compounding the problem, young companies often don’t have the time or resources to make sure everyone is being treated fairly and used efficiently, let alone worry about mentoring and work-family policies. Many don’t yet have experienced managers or clear reporting chains in place. Until last spring’s market correction, human-resources executives at start-ups spent most of their time maniacally looking for new hires. This doesn’t amount to sexism per se, but it can create chaos and cliquishness that makes it impossible for people to work to their potential. (After a few months of battling this sort of chaos, I realized that my talents would be better utilized elsewhere.) “The problem has less to do with gender than inexperience,” says Kirsten Edmondson, co-founder of the women’s networking group Gather and director of strategic partnerships for the venture firm Ideas Hub. “It’s like kindergarten–who’s in the cool gang.”
Aside from the general chaos of a start-up, many women in dot-coms still struggle with a “laddish” office climate and a lack of female colleagues or role models. All too often there’s an assumption that women are the more junior part of a team, or work on the “soft side”–i.e., in marketing or human resources. “If you look or sound different, people here make assumptions about you, and you have to work really hard to break through that,” says May Chong, the European director of Digital Eve, a global support group for women in technology.
But Chong has broken through. She’s secured corporate sponsorship for Digital Eve, and hopes to raise a fund for women-owned businesses. If she manages it, she’ll have plenty of business plans to peruse. The Internet has created many new opportunities for women to start their own businesses. There are now plenty of female Internet consultants, Web designers and tech service providers. Some of these women are even spinning issues such as mentoring, workplace equality and family care into Web-based businesses. Lucy P. Marcus, founder of U.K.-based Marcus Venture Consulting, set up her networking group, High Tech Women, as a for-profit company in defiance of a (male) banker who told her a bunch of women would never make money. She’s since grown the group to 1,000 members around the world. Jayne Buxton raised funding for flametree.co.uk in the middle of last April’s market crash, even though several of her key staffers work part time. “It was tempting to fall into the idea that you have to burn people out to succeed,” says the mother of three. “But that’s the male model for an Internet business. It doesn’t have to be ours.”
Thankfully the recent market crash is weeding out many of the get-rich-quickers. Those that are left tend to be weathered and wiser. European companies still have a long way to go in hiring, retaining and supporting women, but the smartest ones realize that taking care of talent–male and female–is just good business.
