Elena Shalneva
Another
apparently undeniable tenet is “We need a female perspective.” Editors use this
to justify the publication of dull women writers. But there is no such thing as
a female perspective. Or a male perspective, for that matter. Our perspective
is based on our individual experience and is therefore fundamentally
subjective. Two years ago, a Sunday paper asked me to write an article about
being a woman in the City. Tell us how you were harassed and discriminated, the
editor instructed, and how hard it was to work among men. The truth is, I was
never harassed, discriminated, or mistreated in any way. In fact, I had a
fabulous time. Looking back at my career, I realise that I enjoyed greater
success than my modest skills deserved and, as a young and attractive woman, I
got away with things for which any balding, grey-suited City man would have
been fired on the spot.
