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This blog has been created to allow participants in the work/family conflict reading groups to discuss their thoughts about the books and/or the issue of negotiating the competing demands of work and family. Since you can read and post messages any time, you can participate at your leisure, making it easier for you to get the most out of our reading groups without necessarily adding to the tensions of managing work and family. I encourage you to use this venue for sharing your responses, relevant experiences and ideas for alternative ways of making work and family more compatible. The blog is meant to be a companion to our scheduled reading group meetings - an opportunity to get some feedback on ideas we have or express our opinion about something we are reading about in our book. Just as important, by participating on the blog, we can, at our convenience, begin the process of developing connections with each other.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't...
Check out this article, about how it's virtually impossible in the workplace for women to control how they're perceived by their colleagues:
Women and Work - perceptions
2 comments:
great, now I'm really depressed. I have a pretty strong feeling that this different meaning given behavior has bitten me in the backside more than once. I am glad that the article noted that this is a social issue, not a personal one. thanks for not telling me I have to change to fit a set of perceptions that are not fair and so damaging.
I read the article and what stuck out the most to me was the Western (U.S. and U.K.) perception that women are less capable than men at 'inspiring others,' which is considered to be the most important leadership quality. Having thought about this, I immediately came up with numerous examples of women who, through their efforts and perseverance, inspired not only men, but entire generations. The women I had in mind were Indira Gandhi (Indian political activist), Harriet Tubman ('The Moses' for African American slaves), Marie Curie (noted chemist and physicist), and many more. The reason these and other women are considered so 'inspiring' today is because of the inner strength that every woman holds within her. I believe that we are generally perceived as being meek and gentle, but when necessity dictates it, we have immeasurable strength that makes men draw back in awe. This is probably why female babies have more chance of survival than male babies during pregnancy and birth complications (I was one of those babies, so I know) :-) It is because these women exhibited their inner strength that they went down in history as individuals to be emmulated.
However, it may be quite difficult for a woman to exhibit her inner strength and become inspirational in today's everyday life. This is why we mostly keep a low profile and have no choice but to watch how the stereotypes about women continue to undermine our positions in the workplace. Yet, there are notable businesswomen who've managed to be 'inspiring' even today. I have in mind Mary Kay, the founder of Mary Kay cosmetics. Not only has this woman created a cosmetics line and an innovative way to promote it, she also inspired countless women worldwide to change their perceptions of themselves, learn to love who they are and become successful businesswomen in their own right. I remember attending a meeting of regional managers for Mary Kay in Ukraine (my home country). I was simply in awe of how differently these women looked and behaved as compared to an average Ukrainian woman on the street. These women had poise, feminine grace and business savvy all in one package. Most Ukrainian women are far from having such a progressive-looking (Westernized, if I may say)facade and manner to them. The regional managers of Mary Kay attested that they owe their individual successes solely to Mary Kay's innovative vision and esteem-building approach.
I provided the Mary Kay example to show that it is possible for a woman to be perceived as 'inspiring' today. However, Mary Kay was in the 'feminine' business of cosmetics, so her impact is understandable. The real question is whether or not it is possible for a woman to be 'inspiring' in a masculine industry?
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