Ruth Owen: 'there's no point being a woman and trying to be a man' The CEO of Whizz Kidz talks about discrimination (about her wheelchair), never crying in the office and why women need to stop whinging and learn to play the game

ProfStone · 2013-10-18T03:06:11+00:00

So hard work and persistence is how you succeed? WEIRD

C0CKPUNCHER · 2013-10-18T04:44:41+00:00

I'm a man and I'm not a ceo (or a rapist), I guess I'm not really a man?

Frankly_No · 2013-10-18T06:20:38+00:00

Here's the part we're interested in:

Perhaps because of this, she has little sympathy for those who are quick to claim they are being treated unfairly at work. "Sometimes women can be a bit whingy about their lot in life and I actually don't think we need to behave like that. You need to work on your talent and push yourself a bit. Men can make it difficult for you though, it's not easy. And it can be very subtle too.

"As a woman you've got to walk that very fine line of being pushy but nice to other people along the way." When she started out, the office environment was mostly white, male and suited, she explains. "I worked out very quickly the politics of it all and what I needed to do to climb."

In typical blunt but honest fashion, Owen isn't ashamed to admit that she uses her gender to her advantage at work. She explains that men want women who act like women, but only to a point. Being overly emotional and "faffy" are two qualities she steers as far from as possible, and she credits her background in residential care for her ability to keep her feelings under wraps. "It was survival of the fittest," she explains.

She's saying women are discriminated against but they need to push past it instead of complaining.

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