Gretchen Carlson’s letter to women who suffer in silence
Following her sexual harassment claims made last July, former news anchor Gretchen Carlson, 51, received a $20million settlement from Fox News and an apology from her former boss, Roger Ailes, who was forced to step down as CEO and chairman of the network. Other women soon came forward. Carlson has continued her mission to purge workplace sexism by launching her Gift of Courage Fund to support women and girls; writing a book, Be Fierce; and by developing a forthcoming documentary on harassment. She also plans to testify on Capitol Hill against arbitration agreements, which are routinely used to cover up such complaints.
It takes incredible bravery to speak up against the system, especially when it might put your job at risk. In 2017, Carlson wrote this letter for PORTER, to encourage women everywhere to find their voice.
To all women who suffer in silence,
On July 6, 2016, I jumped off a cliff all by myself not knowing what would lie below. It was the biggest decision of my life but, as I approached 50 at the time, I wanted to fully realize my life motto, which has always been “carpe diem”. So, I finally decided to seize the day; to stand up and to speak up. I decided to be fierce in the hopes my voice would empower others.
What I’ve learned in the past year, after hearing from thousands of women across the world, is that the floodgates regarding sexual harassment have been opened, and more and more women are also deciding to say “enough is enough”. I’ve learned through their powerful stories and my own experiences that courage can be contagious. Now I want to offer encouragement to women who feel they are being put down or held back in any aspect of their lives – whether by unwanted come-ons, bullying, pay inequity, not getting promoted or being left out of the boardroom.
It’s wrong that 70 percent of tech companies have no women on their board of directors. It’s wrong that a recent study showed that girls at the age of six already don’t believe hearing something ‘smart’ could have come from a woman. It’s wrong that one in five undergraduate women say they’ve experienced sexual assault and only 12.5 percent report it. It’s wrong that these young women fear no one will believe them and that they’ll be grilled with questions like: What were you wearing? How much were you drinking? Are you sure you said no?
I’d like to encourage all women and girls to stop being people pleasers and perfectionists… and stop being so damn nice!
We need to celebrate our own failures because it’s through our toughest times that we truly come to understand and appreciate the real meaning of success. If we collectively decide to speak up and stand up, we can all become warriors in the path for a better future for us and our children.
Love,
Gretchen Carlson
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