Melinda French Gates faced sexism working with ex-husband Bill Gates: 'If I went to a president...'

Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates got divorced in August 2021.

Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates recently revealed that she faced sexism while working with her ex-husband and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The 60-year-old said that although she and Gates have been involved in philanthropy for 25 years, industry and political leaders would look to her ex-husband first, often assuming that she knew less than him.

“If I went into a president or prime minister’s office and I was with my ex-husband, they would turn to him first,” French Gates told Vanity Fair. “Unless I interrupted the conversation, they could have just kept going for the whole meeting. I get that he was well-known and did great things in the tech industry, but why would they assume I knew less than him about philanthropy when we had been doing it together for almost 25 years? Why make that false assumption? That, really, was sexism.”

This frustrated French Gates who took it up as a challenge to speak first in meetings to ensure she is heard. After her separation from her husband, French Gates appears to be taking back control on her solo philanthropic journey.

“I feel extraordinarily energised about the work ahead. It feels like now is the right time,” she told Vanity Fair. “I never realised that going into my sixth decade, turning 60, could be so exciting.” “Now I’m the sole decision-maker about these resources. So that’s just—it’s different than before. Quite honestly, it feels quite good. When I get a meeting now, I know it’s because of me.”

Moreover, French Gates has also been deploying what social media has dubbed as “microfeminism” in her work. “I’ve been in situations in the last year where speakers will go to answer a question. Maybe there’s both men and women who want to answer, and for whatever reason the man gets in there first," she said, adding that's when she would tweak things. “I’ll say, ‘Just a minute, I’d like to hear what she has to say too.’”