Women’s Campaign International recently traveled to Bulgaria to facilitate the Advancing Leadership for Balkan Women conference. Bulgaria is a country where 98% of women are literate, half work outside of the home, and about 20% of its parliament is female. The population is ready for more female leaders and this conference strengthened the skills of the visionaries of the future. This training was coordinated with the support of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Demographic and Social Policy of Bulgaria Ivailo Kalfin were among the distinguished opening speakers for the event.
The Women’s Campaign International team was compromised of the President and Founder Honorary Marjorie Margolies and Program Consultants Kate Mishkin and Brittany Keesling. The team led discussions about the origins of gender stereotypes, common difficulties for Bulgarian women leaders in the workforce, and strategies to overcome those challenges. Participants also learned about the ‘wimpy words’ of women and the importance of strong body language. This conference brought together over 30 powerful women to share their experiences and create plans to unlock the potential of girls and women.
What are ‘wimpy words?’
Women use wimpy words often. This means that they say ‘sorry’ for asking questions, say ‘sorry’ for expressing their opinion, say ‘sorry’ for asking for help, or even say ‘sorry’ when someone else enters their personal space. It can also mean that women may preface a question with ‘This may seem silly,’ or ‘This may have been asked before.’ This speech is a learned behavior and is demonstrated by groups that have less power. By using the word ‘sorry,’ women give up their power and demean their own thoughts and actions. The Advancing Leadership for Balkan Women conference challenged participants to use empowered speech and to stop prefacing their opinions with ‘sorry.’
Women Campaign International’s impact
Results were overwhelmingly positive. Participants applied their knowledge and skills immediately. One participant reported being suddenly aware of her using the word ‘sorry’ before expressing her opinion with a colleague in a business meeting following the conference, while another felt so inspired that she organized a party of her female friends and family to explain what she had learned.
Through this training, the women embraced the importance of supporting young, aspiring women leaders, using empowered speech, and encouraging men in the discussion about gender equality.