BUSTING INTO A MALE INDUSTRY

By Jessica Gray

Women's empowerment to me is about a woman's self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others. As a woman working in the legal industry which for years has been male dominated, I have faced so many stereotypical trends and barriers that have shaped the business women I am today.

Iwas a young mother, having my first child when I was just starting law school at the age of nineteen, growing up in a low socio-economic part of Western Sydney. People constantly doubted my ability to succeed because of where I came from.

I remember being at lunch with a friend and his father, who was quite well off financially, directly said to me, perhaps you should be more realistic and aim to be a legal secretary which is probably the best you can hope for.

Not only was this person telling me that this was a more suitable job for a woman and someone with less money in their family, but this job was less significant than the one I was aiming for. In hindsight, I have worked with some exceptional legal assistants over the years and this kind of comment reflects such ignorance. My current assistant Tayla Jones is the backbone of my practice, and her role is very significant to us both. I could not operate as efficiently without her.

For the first ten years of my career, I studied and worked for city law firms. I had my son in full time childcare, which then creates the reality of facing guilt and judgement you receive when you are trying to balance the want for being successful in your career and spending enough time with the family. Women want to believe they can have both however it is a personal struggle given the time required to be dedicated to such a high pressure industry.

It wasn’t until many years later when I overheard my son saying to his friend, “my mum isn’t home because she works really hard so we can have nice things”, that your children do notice when you are working but they also understand that there is a positive reason you are going to work. You are teaching them that to have a better quality life you need to work hard for it.

In 2012, I decided that I would move regionally for a better work life balance. I started working for a firm (in property law) and was offered various promises of career progression, working very hard to achieve my targets over the next few years. It was at this time, I was told that the firm was being sold, and that everything I had worked towards would not come to be. I would be required to change my role and help with other areas of law that I was not interested in. I was absolutely devastated. I remember feeling hurt and helpless. I had always been employed by other people as I felt it provided more financial security. So why did I then feel like I never had any control over my choices?

When I first voiced my idea of creating Smart Coast Conveyancing to a male colleague in the industry, I was instantly subjected to gender discrimination. I was informed that I had no idea of what it takes to create a successful small business. Also that I did not have what it takes for that commitment to business, in both a personal and financial sense. Even to the extent that you never see conveyancers driving “BMW’s”.

Your actions as a woman always seem to be under the scrutiny of your male peers. If you are too assertive and confident, you are criticised for not behaving in a ladylike fashion or being unprofessional. If they are not assertive enough, you are seen as lacking the confidence to get results.

We doubt ourselves because we find it so hard to break the bias trying to rationalise why we are making choices, because if we fail we don’t want to hear “I told you so”. The reality is that many men have failed in business before us and it has nothing to do with gender or social status. Any person with the right skill set can be successful in business.

In a moment of clear sight, I was resolute. I am not defined by my gender. I am not defined by where I come from. These are all just small parts of all the things that make me who I am. I am tenacious, capable, empathetic, generous, benevolent and driven. I wanted to open my own small business and create a legacy I could be proud of.

I decided to trust in my own strength and forget the status quo. I partnered with another confident and inspiring woman,

Kellie Cary, who is still my business partner today and together, brought the “Smart Coast difference” to life.

We have now been operating for over six years and we have a strong and successful conveyancing business. We have over 200 (5) star reviews on google and we offer exceptional service to all people buying or selling throughout all of NSW.

Dedication, commitment and achieving your goals are not attributes that should be affected by gender or race. If you want the freedom to create a life that supports your core values; If you want a career that inspires you to get out of bed in the morning to make a difference each day, be empowered and happy. It is time to be fearless and brave and create the life or career that you want, no matter the outcome, you will always know that you made the right choice for yourself.