Laurence Paquette

Progress is real, but it’s slow. Really slow. My daughter doesn’t have 50 years. If you have kids, and especially a daughter, these numbers should enrage you. Not make you sad or reflective. Enrage you. What are we actually doing about it?

When I watch my kids laughing together, I don’t see statistics. I see two equally bright, curious humans who deserve the same shot at life. But the data doesn’t care about that, and neither does the system that produces it.

She’ll earn 13% less than her male peers for the same work. Despite outperforming boys in education, she has less than a 1 in 3 chance of reaching management and less than 1 in 10 of becoming a CEO. The gap follows her into retirement too. Women’s pensions across the EU are 24.5% lower than men’s.

1 in 3 European women will experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. 1 in 20 will be raped. And 1 in 3 will face sexual harassment at work. These aren’t edge cases. They are baseline risks that come with being born female.

My daughter is 9 and my son is 7. I love them both equally, but the world won’t treat them the same. Not because of talent or ambition. Simply because of gender. Here’s what the data says about her future.

A horizontal spectrum chart illustrating different levels of male behavior toward women. On the far left is a green section labeled “Healthy, respectful behavior.” In the middle are yellow and orange sections showing increasingly problematic behaviors such as sexism, harassment, coercion, and abuse. On the far right is a red section labeled “Violence against women,” including rape and murder. The chart suggests that harmful behaviors exist on a continuum rather than as isolated extremes. The illustration is credited to @coinswallow.

Most men believe the problem is “a few bad men.”

Reality is a spectrum.
Silence. Excuses. Laughing along. Looking away.

Predatory behavior rarely survives on monsters alone. It survives on indifference.

What do you tolerate?

Image by @coinswallow (Instagram)
#InternationalWomensDay

Women are landing triple axels while on their period.

We celebrate the medal.
We ignore the pain.

Half the population bleeds every month.

Saying it’s hard shouldn’t be controversial.

Showing up anyway isn’t weakness.
It’s strength.

Asking the right question beats having the right answer.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 so true!!!

“𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨” We’re not solving this today
“𝙒𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣” No one volunteered, it’s now everyone’s problem
“𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙡𝙚” There is no plan
“𝙒𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙣” Make it look successful fast
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡’𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚” I strongly disagree, but want plausible deniability

“𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠” You ignored what I said earlier.
“𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣” I’m buying time.
“𝙋𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡" Please read.
“𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙙𝙙 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡?” I didn’t fully read it. Or I wasn’t listening.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣…” I don’t feel safe asking this, so I’m pre-apologising.

In corporate, you can’t always take words at face value. Here’s a small Corporate Translation Guide 😉
“𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚” Often means no
“𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚” This is awkward
“𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜” I disagree, but I’m polite
“𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙣” I want you to agree with me
“𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠” You ignored what I said earlier

I never felt like I fit the corporate mold… so I’m writing a book about leading when you don’t fit in.

#nonfiction #writingabook #leadership

My brain needs one song on repeat to write and stay focused.
Found my new hyperfixation.

Aperture - Harry Styles

A stranger questioned my credibility on a video today.
Not by engaging with the ideas.
But by assuming I had none.

I’m over 100 pages into writing a nonfiction book and I’ve hit a wall. Not writing, remembering what I already wrote.

Outlines help, but not enough.

If you’ve written nonfiction, how do you keep a clear overview and avoid repeating yourself?

#nonfictionwriting #writerlife #writingprocess

Open offices are a mistake. #work #officedesign #fail

If you can handle conflicts on the playground, you can definitely manage a team at work.

Kitten Zoomies At The Purr-fect Time

Thanks.

He is gross. Marrying his stepdaughter is disgusting.

When work is framed as competition or endurance, it quietly rewards pain tolerance. Not everyone experiences work as a sport. Some of us are not trying to win.

Now that you mention it you are absolutely right. Very poor choice.

Why success is always paid in advance and overnight success isn’t real.

How can overthinking be a good thing?
Let’s talk about it

Men are discouraged from showing emotion.
Women are expected to manage everyone else’s.
Different roles. Same emotional tax.

Great trick!! Love it!!! 🥰

You don’t build habits by trying harder.
You build them by deciding who you are.

Habits don’t stick because of motivation.
They stick because of identity.

Runners run. Writers write.
Who are you becoming?

No one asked for my opinion, but I’ll say it anyway.
A country that cannot guarantee healthcare or address poverty for millions of its own citizens should not be talking about taking someone else’s land.
Colonization is still colonization.
Consent matters.

Being busy all the time isn’t a flex

Masking is often praised as professionalism. Being adaptable, agreeable, and always composed is rewarded, even when it comes at a significant personal cost.