Ambition is seen as bad for women, says Meghan Markle

Meghan said “ambition” had become a “trigger word” for some
DealBook
Lizzie Edmonds @lizzieedmo10 November 2021

The Duchess of Sussex has warned how “ambition” has become a “trigger word” when applied to girls and women.

Meghan said it was “troubling” that boys and men were told that ambition and success are an “incredibly positive thing” to strive for but for females the opposite was true.

In her first in-person interview since her bombshell broadcast with TV chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March, she said: “Why is it, culturally, we are equipping girls and women to think that if you are ambitious, it is a negative thing?” But for a boy or a man it “is an incredibly positive thing. It is a troubling thing.” She said “ambition” had become a “trigger word” for some, particularly when applied to women, adding: “There is nothing wrong with women talking about success, ambition, or financial prowess.”

Meghan, who wore a Remembrance poppy on an all-black outfit, was quizzed as part of the New York Times’ DealBook summit. During a wide-ranging panel discussion, she spoke of cutting out coupons as a child, working as a waitress and recently lobbying Republican senators to support parental leave .

She also said her mental health is in a far better place after telling Winfrey she suffered with suicidal thoughts while pregnant with son Archie. She told Winfrey she “didn’t want to be alive any more” as she couldn’t see a solution to the pressures of being a member of the royal family and in the public eye.

During the panel discussion, Andrew Ross Sorkin, the editor of DealBook, asked: “Are you feeling just better about everything?” She said she was “feeling much better about everything.”

The duchess discussed how she has called US politicians to lobby them to fight for paid parental leave, not offered to new parents in the States. She denied she was being “political” by cold-calling senators on their personal mobile numbers to discuss the issue while introducing herself with her royal title.

When asked if she had “any anxiety about getting involved in politics”, Meghan replied: “I don’t see this as a political issue, frankly. Look, there is a certainly a precedent amongst my husband’s family... of not having any involvement in politics. But I think paid leave... is just a humanitarian issue.”

It comes as Prince Harry appeared at the RE:WIRED summit to talk about social media and mis-information. He claimed he warned Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey his site could potentially facilitate a coup just hours before the January Capitol riots.

Harry also said “Megxit”, the word used to describe the couple’s departure from royal duties, was a “misogynistic term” first created by an online troll.

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