💌 Weekly: What would your city look like...

WHAT’S ON DECK

• Tell Me More: How urban design fails women

• Troublemaker Spotlight: Rae Williams, host of Broadlines video podcast, The Female Quotient

• Inside Track: Leaders on the move

• Dear FQ: I recently returned after parental leave, and now I feel like people see me as less committed.

• Poll the Pack: The quiet traits that power great teams 

TELL ME MORE

Mind the gap

Ever feel like the city you’re living in is just...slightly off? Like the sidewalk is a nightmare for a stroller, or you’re paying three different bus fares just to drop off a prescription and grab groceries? It’s not in your head. It’s by design.

For the past century, urban planning has been based on a single, very specific perspective: that of the middle-class white male. As architect Dolores Hayden famously argued, “‘A woman’s place is in the home’ has been one of the most important principles of architectural design and urban planning in the United States.” Next time you’re out, take a look around. Seriously. All the statues? Men. Most of the street signs? Named after men.

Basically, cities were built as “containers” for women’s unpaid labor, while men commuted to the "real" world of work. Fast forward to today, and 83% of us live in these cities. That’s a lot of people living in a system that doesn't actually fit their lives.

That brings us to the “default male” blueprint. If you’ve ever sat in a freezing office or felt like a building's proportions were just weirdly huge, you might be meeting "The Modulor." The celebrated French architect Le Corbusier designed this scale of measurement to be the universal standard for architecture. The problem? He based it on a 6-foot-tall white male. He set the "default male" as the physical height of our counters, the width of our hallways, and the reach of our shelves. 

It’s not just about inconvenient shelves; it’s about survival. A 2024 UN Women study found that 32% of women in the U.S. experienced sexual harassment in public spaces in just the last year. Globally, 9 out of 10 women feel unsafe in public areas.

This creates a "geography of fear." Women often shrink their lives to stay safe. Take the public park, for example. In the 90s, researchers in Vienna found that while boys play in public parks well into their teens, girls basically disappear by age 9. Why? Because parks aren't designed with them in mind. Dr. Julia Girardi-Hoog, Vienna’s chief gender planner, points out that something as simple as bushes can be a threat. “We are not big fans of bushes. Trees are much better because they provide shade and you can see through them.”

Then, there’s the “trip chaining” tax. Men usually travel in a straight line: home → work → home. But women often "trip chain." This means hitting the daycare, the grocery store, and the dry cleaners all in one go. Because transit is built for that "straight line" commute, women often get hit with a "pink tax" on mobility. In San Francisco, for example, a woman might have to pay a new fare at every single stop on her chain. 

Even at the highest levels of power, women are fighting for the basics. This year, nearly 60 female lawmakers in Japan signed a petition for more restrooms in Parliament. The building was finished in 1936, a decade before women could even vote. Today, 72 women in the lower house have to share one restroom with two stalls. Imagine trying to run a country while standing in a 20-minute line for the bathroom.

When men are the only ones in the room, they design for people who look like them, which leads to some major "Did they even think this through?" moments. Think about those glass staircases or transparent floors in public buildings. Clearly, a woman was not in that meeting. As LA Times culture writer Carolina Miranda wrote, “All male architects should be required to navigate their own buildings in a skirt.”

The math is simple: the people drawing the blueprints don’t experience the problems.

• 17% of registered architects are women.

• 35% of city planners are women.

• 66% of female architects report dealing with sexism in the industry.

Some cities are doing the work to fix this. Vienna is the "gold standard" here. They didn't just guess what women needed; they used data to widen sidewalks for strollers and create housing complexes with on-site kindergartens and rooftop laundry rooms next to play areas. In Barcelona, they created "Superblocks," neighborhoods where cars are banned, and streets are handed back to the people, making "trip-chaining" errands a breeze instead of a marathon.

As Leslie Kern, author of Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World, writes, "In practice, planners are not taking into account that women and girls have been systematically disadvantaged, and sometimes you need policies and services and amenities that help to make up for that." To build a city that thrives, we have to stop treating the "6-foot-tall man" as the only citizen.

We deserve to take up space, and that means space designed specifically for us to move, work, and breathe safely.

TROUBLEMAKER SPOTLIGHT

Rae Williams, host of Broadlines video podcast, The Female Quotient

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Rae Williams is a journalist, TV host, and pop-culture expert. She knows her way around the entertainment industry, from working the red carpet for the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys, to being a media strategist for major networks. Now, she is the co-host of The Female Quotient’s first-ever video podcast, Broadlines, which debuted in February. On Broadlines, Rae leads real conversations on the news, reframed, rethought, and recharged for women who have *thoughts*. Thoughts on women’s health, motherhood, friendship, money, and everything in between. We don’t need another breaking news alert. We need conversations that break the news down.

What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

Someone telling me that I can't do something. A person who supports you and your vision is never going to tell you that you can’t accomplish something; they’re going to do the exact opposite. It serves as fuel for me because I want to prove that I can, and then I go do it.

What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?

When I began working at an entertainment magazine show in Jamaica, I wasn’t confident that I knew what I was doing. After a few episodes, a producer told me to watch myself back on TV, not out of vanity, but to really study my own work. 

It was amazing advice that has stuck with me. We can all examine and reflect on things we’ve done. Sometimes it leads to moments of, “I’ve come a long way,” and other times, I evaluate what I could have done better so that I can improve for next time.

What was a heartbeat moment for you in your career?

I had gone back to Jamaica and was working at the same TV station I’d started at when I was 16. I was known in the community, my family was known, I had friends, history, and a sense of comfort there.

Eventually, I worked up the courage to move back to the States, but not to where I actually wanted to be. Los Angeles felt too big and too uncertain. I took a job in Austin at a company I didn’t feel aligned with. I told myself it was a stepping stone, but deep down I knew that I was afraid to go after what I really wanted.

When I got fired, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Suddenly, I had a choice. I could go back to Jamaica, to what was familiar and safe. Or I could take a real risk and move to Los Angeles without a job, without family, and without connections. I moved to Los Angeles and finally went after the career I’d been dreaming about.

Who is one person you’d love to give flowers to from your career that influenced your journey? What advice or lesson did you learn from them?

My mom, Cathy Rattray, is no ordinary mom. She’s a four-time Olympian in track and field, and while training at the highest level, she was also a teacher. Watching her juggle both taught me what discipline really looks like. More importantly, it showed me the power of having a genuine love for what you do.

She was also my first introduction to television and entertainment. I’d go to the station with her as she did commentary for athletic events, taking it all in. Somewhere in those moments, I realized I wanted to be in front of the camera too.

She’s been my biggest champion. She pushes me to break things down into actionable steps, take chances, put myself out there, and stop waiting for the “perfect” moment. She’s nurturing, but she’s also honest about where I am, what I’m doing, and what isn’t working. Having someone you deeply respect who’s willing to tell you the truth is one of the greatest gifts. I value direct feedback, and she’s always given it to me with love.

Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?

Some people still see a career in entertainment journalism as frivolous. I see it as essential. The entertainment industry doesn’t just influence how we think and feel, it’s a massive ecosystem that employs millions of people and shapes culture in real time. It intersects with business, technology, AI, politics, and the consequences of DEI initiatives being rolled back. What happens in entertainment doesn’t stay there. It ripples outward.

A few years ago, while working at a company, I pitched a story on mental health in the creator economy. The response I got was that nobody feels sorry for influencers, and audiences wouldn’t care. But today, that same issue is being recognized as an epidemic. Content creators now face some of the highest rates of depression and suicide in the industry.

If that story had been taken seriously earlier, maybe the conversation and the outcomes would look different today. That’s why I’ve been willing to cause a little “good trouble.” Telling stories that others dismiss as frivolous is how awareness starts, and real change begins.

Want to nominate a “Troublemaker” you admire? You can do so here.

INSIDE TRACK

Leaders on the move

• Magali Huot is now Director of Games Marketing, Mainstream Games at Netflix.

• Danielle Carney has taken on a new role as Head of U.S. Ad Sales at Paramount.

• Sarah Sylvester has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Lands’ End.

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Vanessa Buenger of The Female Quotient weighs in:

First of all, congratulations on your new arrival! This should be an exciting chapter. Returning to work after a monumental life change is not a lack of commitment, but proof of it. You are returning with a refined set of skills: heightened efficiency, radical prioritization, and a new level of emotional intelligence. That said, there are proactive ways to make your commitment visible in a world that can sometimes struggle to see you outside of your new role as a mother.

Proactively schedule time with stakeholders to align on priorities, expectations, and how you want to show up in this next chapter. Don't wait for them to "give" you your old desk back; define what it looks like. Create and share a 30-60-90 day plan. Outline how you’ll get back up to speed and what success looks like in the near term. Share this roadmap with your manager and your team. This doesn't just show you're "back," it shows you are leading.

If your company allows it, advocate for a "soft landing." Start with a Tuesday-to-Thursday schedule for the first two weeks. It helps both your nervous system and your baby adjust to the new rhythm without the shock of a 40-hour sprint.

Be your own champion, share your wins, highlight the impact of your work, and make your value visible. There is often a “motherhood penalty” bias where colleagues assume you’re less interested in high-stakes projects. Correct them early by raising your hand. Finally, if after all of this you still feel that taking time to care for yourself and your family is being held against you, it’s okay to ask a bigger question: Is this the right environment for the career and life you’re building? If your current culture treats your evolution as a liability rather than an asset, they are the ones losing out on a high-performing leader.

Remember, you didn’t lose your professional identity; you’re evolving and expanding it.

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

The quiet traits that power great teams

World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker once shared a truth that still hits: “I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.”

It sounds simple, right? But in a world of "let’s circle back" and forgotten emails, follow-through is actually the rarest and most valued trait in the workplace. When you do what you said you’d do, you aren't just finishing a task; you’re building a brand of reliability. You become the go-to person people can trust.

Follow-through is a baseline. To really level up, you need two more things:

• Self-awareness: About 33% of employees say self-awareness is the #1 trait they look for in a teammate. Why? Because nobody wants to work with the person who doesn’t realize they’re sucking the air out of the room or missing their own blind spots. Being self-aware means knowing your limits, owning your mistakes, and having the empathy to actually listen. It’s the difference between being a "boss" and being a leader people want to follow.

• That "MacGyver" energy, resourcefulness: If you want to be indispensable, learn to navigate the "I don't know" moments. Resourcefulness is about having a growth mindset, seeing a brick wall, and looking for a ladder. Resourceful people don't panic when things get messy; they get creative.

The bottom line: You don’t need to be the loudest or most energetic person in the meeting to be the most impactful. If you can think it through, stay self-aware enough to pivot, and have the grit to finish what you started, you’re already ahead of the pack. 

Here’s to unapologetically taking up space.

Xo,

The FQ

Don’t forget to let us know what you think of The FQ Newsletter here.

HAPPENING AT THE FQ

RSVP to join us:

• FQ Lounge™ @ Possible