EDITORIAL: Stepping past the broken rung and moving onward

February 6, 2024 |By Katie Tabeling

Women typically face issues in getting promotions, and some of that is driven by self doubt. | PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH/NICK FEWINGS

A few weeks ago, my friend sent me an opinion piece from Vandana Sinha, who at the time was the editor in chief at the Washington Business Journal. In 2019, Sinha wrote about her immediate reaction to her then-editor’s news of leaving the publication — and how as second in command, Sinha was the obvious

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A few weeks ago, my friend sent me an opinion piece from Vandana Sinha, who at the time was the editor in chief at the Washington Business Journal. In 2019, Sinha wrote about her immediate reaction to her then-editor’s news of leaving the publication — and how as second in command, Sinha was the obvious choice for his successor. It was a scene that also played out for me last December in the Delaware Business Times office. On paper, I was also the obvious choice for the next editor. But also like Sinha, my gut reaction was to think of a million reasons why I thought I shouldn’t do it. Frustrating as that is, there’s obvious data to back up that feeling as well as stories my fellow female reporters and mentors have shared over the years with me. Good journalism is a demanding job, and I just settled into being a working mother. I had hoped to spend 2024 being an excellent journalist and mother, and I knew plenty that had been driven out of the field decades before while raising a family. But consider the data. McKinsey and LeanIn.org conduct one of my favorite annual reports about women in the workplace, and it always suggests that the real problem is that the “broken rung” on the career ladder is the biggest impediment to ambitious women’s work. For every 100 men promoted to manager, there are 87 women promoted — and the number shrinks to 73 when it’s limited to women of color. Of course, there’s also the well-cited Hewlett Packard report that suggests that women only apply for a job when they meet all of the qualifications, compared to a man who applies when they meet 60% of their job. In a sense, I believe I got too comfortable being told I would never advance any further. Before I started working at what is today’s version of DBT, there were plenty of people who told me I did not have the experience for the roles I wanted. [caption id="attachment_206578" align="alignright" width="282"]

Katie Tabeling Editor Delaware Business Times[/caption] But there’s the Catch-22: how would I get those roles if no one ever gave me the chance? How would I ever position myself for opportunities if I was so busy trying to prove the work I fought for was worth it? Over the years, it felt most times I was fighting to prove myself to everyone that I didn’t realize I had the tools necessary to do the job. Ever since a former colleague showed me how to do layout in my living room one Halloween five years ago, I had everything I needed to be as prepared as possible. And the Delaware Business Times has opened up opportunities I never dreamed were possible in 2019. I have incredible support from my husband, friends, family, former and soon-to-be former colleagues and the Today Media team. And if it was possible that so many people believed in a Newark girl who went to a liberal arts college in Maryland could lead a Delaware newspaper, why was it so hard to believe in myself? If anything, I do belong in this community just as much as anyone. I am the granddaughter of an Italian-American who worked at the long-past General Motors plant in Newport as well as a DuPont engineer. I am the daughter of a machinist who worked decades in his family-owned business. I am a Newark High School graduate who has lived in the “Delmarva” areas and later came home to the Pike Creek Valley. It’s time for me — and others like me —take a page out of those who lead at the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute, as we detailed in this edition. There are bright women who are blazing a trail in fields that traditionally are dominated by men. Yet still, they forge on to create cutting-edge research to find novel ways to treat terminal illnesses, and more importantly, an environment where they lift each other up. As the new editor of the Delaware Business Times, I look forward to hearing the stories of our business community, big and small, ranging from our high rises in downtown Wilmington to the flat fields that surround Seaford. I want to take us to a data-driven approach where we are not only looking at today’s matters, but what tomorrow’s issues will be. I want to continue on our path to be a go-to resource for the business leaders and government officials, reflecting on what Delaware needs to face in the future. I hope you will continue this journey with me. Katie Tabeling is the new editor of the Delaware Business Times.