Image: Yunha Kim
Yunha Kim?is the CEO and founder of?Locket, a San Francisco based tech startup. She was recognized by Business Insider as advertising’s ?30 Most Creative Under 30″ and ?graduated magna cum laude from Duke University. She worked as an investment banking analyst before starting her business. Even with this stellar resume, Kim wasn’t immune to the challenges that women face in leadership roles in business — perhaps more so in the tech industry. Kim lists three reasons it “sucks to be a female CEO”:
- If you are aggressive, you are a bitch. If you are emotional, you are PMSing. If you are soft, you are too feminine. Whatever way someone finds you, they can always justify it is because you are female.
- You may get more sales meetings because some of the guys that you are pitching to have a different agenda. Since it’s difficult to distinguish it early on, you may end up wasting some time. If you turn down their advances (and it gets awkward), doing deals with their companies can become difficult.
- Hiring engineers can get tricky. When you reach out to prospective developers, you may get emails like this:
Below??is a sample of the emails she receives, and she says this is actually one of the more professional. 
Image:?Yunha Kim
Women in business leadership positions don’t get there by being “soft,” though, and Kim is no exception. Outweighing the challenges of an executive role in business are the rewards. She explains that the double standard can play in a woman’s favor. Men can be more willing to help women, and as sexist as that may seem, a savvy businesswoman can use this as a tool for leverage. Kim describes it as “one of the rarely spoken benefits” of being ?a woman in a leadership position. By the same token, other women are more eager to step up and go to bat for a “fellow female entrepreneur.”
Image:?Kim also points out that fundraising can sometimes be easier if you’re launching a startup. There are female investors who have personal goals of empowering other female entrepreneurs. A female CEO is also in a position to hire more talented female employees. As Kim points out, it’s all about how you “frame your perspective.” A positive attitude has been the key to her success. Powerful and self-assured men take for granted that leadership positions are natural roles for them. Powerful and self-assured women are no different.
If you are committed to believing that it sucks to be a female CEO, you will be right, and it will suck to be you. If you are committed to believing it’s awesome to be a female CEO, you will be happier and confident to be you.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?subscribe to her public updates on Facebook,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
