Women and Negotiation
Women and negotiation is a very apt topic in this world of current discord.
The massacre in Palestine continues to clear the land for the Israelis, who are already registering interest on land parcels and where Isreal is not bombing, they are evicting Palestinians from their homes to appropriate for new Israeli citizens.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to bomb Ukrain, to facilitate Putin’s land grab and attempt at empire restoration.
Negotiations to stop the genocide in Gaza have failed: I wonder how many women have been present?
Women and Negotiation Example of Success
A 20 year war in Europe preceded a period of long lasting peace, due to the help of women and negotiation.
Women are fantastic negotiators.
The peace after WW1 was short, maybe because there were no women involved – the settlement was punitive – no understanding of the losing side, Germany faced economic ruin and out of that rose Hitler..
Negotiation is vital for lasting peace and women are particularly good at this.
Taking Time To Understand The Other Side
Just like black people have always had to know more about whites than vice versa, especially in recent human history, women have always had to know more about men… simply for successful survival.
As a consequence women are excellent at observing and listening (not just hearing) and engaging empathy regarding the other party’s point of view.
It was fascinating.
The bit that stuck out most for me, was the part women played in the end of a 20 year European war. Yes really!
Women helped to negotiate the following 100 years peace.
Professor Margaret Macmillan a specialist in British Imperial and International History from the 19th to the 20th Century and Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Toronto and Emeritus Professor of History at Oxford University, explains that although negotiations never
officially involved women, historically, before the 20th century, in practical terms, that wasn’t really the case…
Women and Negotiation For European Peace
It was held as an outcome of the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the aim being was to settle outstanding issues of this war that had gone on and on… A war that had killed people all over Europe and which had disrupted Europe for over 20 years..
France had been dominating much of the Continent and eventually a coalition was formed by Britain; Russia; Prussia, and Austria and together these countries defeated Napoleon the leader of France.
The congress was called, for all the powers that were in the coalition that had defeated Napoleon including France as Napoleon had been deposed and so a new French government had been formed.
All were to attend to negotiate what happened next, now that the carnage had ended…
What they were all trying to do, was in a sense, put all the pieces back to gather again in a an order that would create lasting peace.
There were many, many things to sort out, a great many outstanding issues such as borders and decisions as to who got which throne and more, so this large meeting lasted for well over a year…
The Social Power of Women and Negotiation
Well I can just imagine the social whirl! The sharing of European hair styles, fashion styles, silks, fabrics and designs..
There would have been grand party after grand party, everyone cock a hoop the war had ended yet endless wrangles as to who got what..
Women had no official role in these negations because in those days they didn’t hold official positions unless they had inherited a throne or unless they somehow managed to manoeuvre themselves into a position of power, but they actually played a huge part in the intricacies of these negotiations using their well honed social skills.
These women communicated between the different statesman and they were often very well trusted.
Klemens von Metternich the Austrian Chancellor who was a very clever man presided over the congress and really helped to pull the pieces together and build a lasting peace, according to Dr Macmillan.
He in particular, had couple of women there he trusted completely. He talked to them, he asked for and received their advice, he relied on them and…. the women had great parties…
The Importance of Physical Interaction: Women and Negotiation
You may think a party isn’t important but in fact it’s a way people get together and in any negotiation personal contact really matters.
You have to learn to trust other people, you have to learn to know what they’re thinking and women were a very important part of this learning to understanding each other and including the various powers’ desires and wishes.
A hundred years later, in the discussions for peace as a result of WW1, women were not involved because in the 19th century because things became ‘professionalised’ says Margaret.
People began to have to do exams to get into foreign offices and women could not apply. Consequently, women were not present at the congress in any meaningful or impactful way after the killing ceased, in order to create a long lasting peace…
The big conference was modelled on the Congress in Vienna a hundred years beforehand, but women were only there as typists, secretaries, drivers, so there were almost no women who actually played any meaningful part in the negotiations.
The lack of female input was highly detrimental.
As Dr Macmillian says, “Who knows whether its evolution or whether its cultural but women have a great capacity to notice, they have an empathy often more than men do in some cases and they can be very good at understanding other characters and other people and trying to understand them and work with them”.
So yes, she says, “I think it was detrimental – it meant they were depriving themselves of the talents of half the human race”.
Women and Negotiation – get involved
Whether you are a man or a woman reading this, I urge you to consider the female perspective and proactively involve women in the process of making difficult decisions between disparate parties.
And if you are a woman, I urge you to please USE YOUR VOICE.
Communication is a superpower – says s Nicky Perfect the international negotiator.
I say – your voice can save lives ladies, speak up and lean in, your voice counts.
