Ah, the "pink ghetto." The place where women's business dreams and aspirations goes to die. The term "pink ghetto" was coined sometime back in the 1970s, as a way to draw attention to the gender-based pay gap and the disproportionate representation of women in certain fields. Typically women in the "pink ghetto" took on jobs in female-dominated fields such as nursing, social work, administrative support, baking and a few other professions. The term "ghetto" implies that these fields were seen as less prestigious or lower status than male-dominated fields, while "pink" referred to the color traditionally associated with femininity. But why?
The term "pink ghetto" has been around of years, especially in the culinary and dessert world. This was recently brought to light in an article on Eater, written by Bettina Makalintal, on Mrs.Fields.
The article was a profile piece on how Debbie Fields took an idea, a $50,000 business loan and transformed it into the cookie empire we all know as Mrs.Fields. I was fascinated to learn that Mrs.Fields was named after a real person and not just a corporate ploy to invoke the image of a loving grandmother to sell more products (I'm looking at you Mrs. Butterworth). In fact, Mrs. Fields was named after Debbie Fields, the founder and CEO of the company.
In the Eater article, they talked about how Debbie went on to create a multi-million dollar business in an era where women were not typically seen as business women. However, despite her growing empire, her success was typically attributed to her husband's business acumen. How could an attractive 20 something year old woman be so business savvy? Then to add insult to injury, many believed that her success was credited to the fact that she started a baking business. A business, such as baking, that is historically associated with domesticated women. Instead of celebrating her badass boss moves, her success was constantly minimized and in the "pink ghetto" she lived.
After reading this article, it reminded me of my own experience in the "pink ghetto." When I first launched my chocolate company, KLADO, I was elated. I was able to take an idea that had been ruminating for years and turn it into a business. I had worked tirelessly from branding to marketing to finances and of course, perfecting our chocolate recipes. I spent months sourcing, negotiating, securing and building relationships with suppliers, contractors and landlords to ensure I could met my business goals. I did everything. I designed our company esthetic. I standardized our recipes. I coded our company website (thanks to 10+ years in tech). I obsessed over packaging, quality and customer experience. However my ambition and hard-work kept getting overlooked.
The reason was that many people assumed that there was someone else behind KLADO's growth. And that someone else must be the man in my life, my husband. He must be the brains of the operations. Many a times, I'd strike up a conversation with our customers, and if my husband was there as well, they'd say things to him like: "That's great you let her do this" and "It's so nice that you support her." Then, if there was a business question, they would 90% of the time address my husband, not me. At first glance, these interactions seemed harmless, but there was an undertone. An undertone, that the reason I was able to have this business was due to my husband's support, both emotionally and financially. Also, that he's the one in charge of my business, so he must be the decision maker. It bothered me, but my husband was always quick to deflect and give credit where it was due by responding with: "No. It's her business," "ask her, she's the boss" or "I work for her..."
Then, there was the time, when the wife of a successful businessman came to my store. She was nice enough and very inquisitive. She was curious as to how I came up with the idea? Who designed the branding? Then, she asked me "do you bake these yourself?" For some reason, that question irked me. Yes, it's my company, but why would it matter if I made these myself? Better yet, why is it assumed that I have to be the one making them?Her question hit a nerve and at first I couldn't understand why. So my response was, "we have a team" (which we did) and a few more questions later, she purchased a box of chocolates and went about her day.
For many years, I didn't know that what I experienced as a business owner was commonplace in the "pink ghetto." When I first set out to build an eco-conscious dessert company, it didn't dawn on me that I was entering a traditionally female centric industry. The world of baking and cooking. It didn't matter that I was trying to do things differently, but the perception was that I was a baker. Not a CEO.
I found these interactions puzzling. It was a strange dichotomy from my past life as a Wall St. exec to becoming a chocolatier, or as many saw it, a baker. I wanted to explain the differences between a baker and a chocolatier, but it was futile. It was petty. Plus, why did it matter? So for years, I harbored these sentiments in silence.
Then, when I read the Eater article, I realized the biased I faced in a female-dominated industry is not new. It's not specific to me. It's not novel. It didn't matter if I was starting a new business or was an established global brand, like Mrs. Fields. The perception was the same. That as a woman, we're expected to play in a female-dominated sandbox and if you succeed, they'd say "Of course she did, it's [insert female-dominated field here] business". Then, if these same women happen to have a significant other who is a male, most of the credit will be attributed to him.
It's frustating enough that I have experienced the effects of being in the "pink ghetto" firsthand, but I've also witnessed it happening to others. During a friend's birthday outing, one of the women at the table was asked by the man sitting across from her, where she worked. She noted at the local hospital. The guy responded, "that's wonderful, my wife is a nurse too." To which she responded, "No. I'm a doctor." Silence. You could hear a pin drop, as the man tried to process how she, a woman, could be anything other than a nurse.
The "pink ghetto" is real. It's pervasive in many areas in the workplace and in the world of entrepreneurship. However, like Debbie Fields, we must continue to push boundaries. Create. Innovate. Grow. Challenge. Question preconceived gender biases, including our own. Regardless of gender, even as a women, we must challenge traditional gender norms. Because only by changing our mindsets, owning our success and celebrating other badass women's accomplishments will we escape the "pink ghetto."
Have you experienced the "pink ghetto" phenomenon? If so, I'd love to hear your story and remember, you're a badass and don't let anyone cage your aspirations and dreams.
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