These two articles came to my attention in quick succession (from the same magazine, that should probably not be too surprising). It is refreshing that a men's publication is promoting women in such a positive and honest light.
If there was one thing that stuck with me in these two articles, it is that women talking a quarter of the time is considered equally balanced. What the actual fuck? And, if we ACTUALLY talk half of the time, we are considered to be dominating the conversation. Is that an accurate portrayal of our society?
This got me thinking. I consider myself to be pretty shy most of the times. My job requires me to talk in meetings, often times to exec (all males, I point out). My (female) boss recently took a secondment and I am temporarily reporting to another (male) manager in the department. Now, I wouldn't usually discern the gender of the person I report to. To me, it makes absolutely no difference. I have had male and female bosses in my time and the rating I give them is on performance not the classification of their private parts.
However, since my reporting lines have changed, I have been dumbfounded by the amount of times my boss points out how strong I was in a meeting; how vocal I am; that I don't appear to be "scared" (his word, not mine) of the Managing Director. Of course I am not fucking scared of the man! He may be three rungs up the ladder but he's still a person. My boss has also pointed out that he loves the fact that I am not afraid to speak up. I will stand up against idiocy to ensure the success of a project regardless of the stature of the person I am facing.
I thought that these things were why they paid me. I'm an analyst. It is my job to point out issues and obstacles. It is my job to highlight risks to senior management. I am expected to use my brain. Right?
But his reaction made me take a step back. Even in 2016, my behavior in the boardroom is considered strange. I find that terribly sad.
No comments:
Post a Comment