By Lucy Caulkett-
The Duchess of Sussex released a birthday video message announcing her new 40×40 initiative, persuading individuals to dedicate 40 minutes of their time to helping women re-enter the workforce.
The video clip filmed in Meghan and Harry’s Montecito, California, home could just have been fanciful rhetoric, but may also have been born out of a genuine desire to see women make significant progress in the workforce.
During the video, and additionally on the Archewell website, the duchess revealed that, for her birthday, she has asked 40 activists, athletes, artists and world leaders to participate in her initiative.
The identities of the athletes and artists were not revealed, nor were any indications of how Meghan Markle expects them to help women re-enter the workforce. The request looks like a big ask, and could be interpreted to mean discriminating against men to help women get into work.
The fact cannot be disputed that the challenges for women who may have lost employment during the pandemic is more severe than for men. Women out of work are too often at the mercy of their male spouse who is employed, potentially increasing their subservience to controlling men. The importance of women bring independent, self sufficient, and confident, is higher now than ever.
Male artists or athletes contacted by Meghan Markle may not be as motivated as the Duchess Of Sussex, who is known to be a feminists that fights for the course of women. They would have outwardly nodded to her request, until the practical test of implementation comes.
Men out of work equally in need of employment are in abundance, but the message from Meghan Markle is her fight for greater equality opportunities for women in the labour force.
If many of today’s well positioned men were to answer her call for greater employment opportunities, it could lead to more allegations of sexual assaults or multiple inappropriate comments from men who will conveniently abuse their positions as employers to exploit women,
We have seen that with the likes of Bill Cosby and many others who have used their position to exploit women sexually.
The spirit of Meghan’s request applied aimfully will see more powerful women create better employment opportunities for other women and increase jobs for women that have other women as their bosses, instead of men, Men with the financial resources to create jobs can invest in women led employment opportunities.
Meghan Markle can also campaign more to close the gender gap in high earnings in the work place, and encourage women to dream big and think big. At 40, Meghan Markle has reached a milestone. Her mindset would have been prepared for this landmark age for the past year, especially in the past few months. It is the type of age that comes every ten years, and forces reflection and ambition for those with high goals.
Meghan can also play her part in enriching the prospects of women by establishing systems aimed at inspiring young girls right from primary and secondary schools in the Uk and The U.S to plan for their future through focus on their education and working towards any great goals they have.