8M: one more date to continue demanding, than to celebrate

Today is International Working Women's Day, or just Women's Day, as you prefer. A date, I think, more to claim than to celebrate. I've been working all my life. I have been a sociocultural entertainer, owner in the restaurant sector, tourist guide, hotel director, owner of a travel agency and, currently, I am a businesswoman, also a proud mother of a beautiful baby. I would be lying if I claimed not to have occasionally experienced certain hints of professional discrimination, but it is also true that, due to my character, I have had the strength (or luck) to have known how to combat them and stop them at the right time. I admit, however, that I have witnessed many cases around me with unpleasant and complex solutions. To date, I have always had the feeling of being the owner and responsible for all my actions. I don't consider myself an exception, but I do feel lucky.

I am not a friend of zipper policies, nor of that other thing that so many refer to as “positive discrimination.” An expression that personally bothers me. On the contrary, I am a firm supporter of betting on talent, qualifications and the human quality of people. I am convinced of having the best professionals, but I am even more convinced of having the best team of people possible, giving their all every day for the company that has believed in them.

As CEO of Paraty Tech, I attest that in this company gender has never been considered, to any extent, as a criterion to be taken into account in our multiple selection processes. And although women are, today, a minority in our office (they represent around 35% of the total employees), they are fully integrated in all the departments of the Paratyworld group, leading and completely monopolizing the design and content department. Obviously, this female-male ratio responds exclusively to professional reasons.

Still, we are very aware of the strangeness of the climate we have been able to construct in Paratyworld. Although in recent years great steps have been taken in favor of the position of women in the workplace, there is still much to do in this area, as in all areas of society.

We are happy to be able to ensure that all of them feel comfortable within these four walls and free to decide how to proceed on this important date. By the way, I write this from Tokyo, where I am currently for work reasons. I'm here only because that's how I wanted it to be.

Gina Victoria Matheis, CEO of Paraty Tech