Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wk 6 Eureka Moment
Last week I was witness to gender stereotyping in work. I was sitting in a meeting with one of the VPs of my company when the CEO walked in to ask a quick question of the VP. To summarize…my company is funded by venture capitalists and presently is looking for additional funding. The two executives were discussing a potential investor who happened to be women. They stated that the other investors didn’t like the woman because she came across strong-willed, opinionated, and abrasive. They even mentioned that they thought the other investors didn’t like her because she was bitchy. I felt like a fly on the wall (who is presently taking a Gender & Communications class…lol). I found this exchange interesting from many aspects. Did they forget I was a female in the room? Probably not so that makes me think that they didn’t see a problem with their discussion. Which than makes me believe that they in fact were stating their own opinions as well. If this new potential investor was a man with the same traits, would these traits be viewed as negative? I’ve worked with my boss at three other companies prior to my present employer so I have a good relationship with him and am able to share my thoughts on many topics without negative repercussions. Of course, I didn’t hold back on this topic (after the CEO left the room of course). My boss’s wife is a very successful engineer and plant manager for a large well known company which will remain nameless. She is a minority in a predominately male-dominated field so she has had many obstacles to overcome and bumps in the road along her career path. Now back to my boss….I asked him how he would feel if he witnessed this same discussion about his wife. He gave me a little laugh and agreed that it was unfair but that is how the investment business is…cut-throat and unfair. I laughed right back at him and said ‘change can start with you’. He laughed again…….
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Wk 6 Response to Jeff’s Eureka Moment
ReplyDeleteJeff,
For me, the older I get the less concern I have of fitting in. This is not to say that when I was a teenager and in my twenties that I didn’t follow the fashion and beauty industry and yes I tried to mirror what the trendsetters portrayed as necessary for my life and for me to be happy. There lies the problem…equating happiness with perfection. With our final project, many of our fellow students focused their papers and media source on the influence the media has on our gender identity and our sense of self. As a society, I think that we are more aware now than generations past but knowing is empty without changing the wrong.
Wk 6 Response to Shawn’s Eureka Moment
ReplyDeleteShawn,
Kudos to you for being so honest and admitting that you have a loooong way to go. Many of us are just as guilty of gender stereotyping especially on the domestic front. When my children were young, I was a stay at home mom who did all of the housework while taking care of the children. My husband was the sole breadwinner. The one difference is that I hated housework and would rather work in the yard…including the mowing. Growing up my parents didn’t pigeonhole me and my siblings into gender-specific roles so I do find it interesting that when I married I put myself there. In my present job, I travel about 50% of the time so my husband has had to step up and become ‘domesticated’ as you say. The funny thing is that it surprised him how much he doesn’t hate cooking and doing other chores around the house. You may be surprised too so open yourself up to the possibility.