Chapter 4 Outline

Marked: Women in the Workplace

  1. Introduction
    1. There are no unmarked women.
    1. A woman’s fashion, hairstyles, & makeup may send the right or wrong message.
    2. Whatever she wears, calls herself, how she talks will be interpreted about her character & competence.
    1. Marked refers to the way language alters the base meaning of a word by adding something.

      2. e.g. visit ---- visited (past) ----will visit (future)

      dish ---- dishes (plural)

    2. Unmarked goes without saying

      3. Being male is the unmarked case.

    3. Gender markers of women are traditional associations that are not quite serious, often sexual.
    4. All married women’s surnames are marked.
    1. Ms. – Liberal
    2. Miss – Youthful
    3. Mrs. – Married
    4. Maiden name vs. husband’s last name
  1. Sexism: responding to old patterns of gender that no longer apply, or no longer apply in all instances.
    1. Women typically are seen to fill support roles. (e.g. nurses, receptionists, etc.)
    2. Children pick up gender roles
    1. mother as caretaker/housekeeper
    2. father as breadwinner
    1. Every women are seen in a sense as a receptionist being always available to give information & help.
    2. We must continually remind ourselves that the world is changing.
    3. More than 50% women between 35-49 have been discriminated because of their gender; 40% have been sexually harassed.
    4. Are you immune to stereotypes?
    1. Which careers did your parents tell you were good for women?
    2. Who were in charge of making major decisions in your family?
    1. Reasons why men still earn more than women:
    1. Women might be less inclined to work overtime due to family responsibilities.
    2. More women work part time or temporary jobs.
    3. More women generally work lower paying jobs.
    4. Pay equity problems can be eliminated by objectively valuing women’s work & that they are paid accordingly.

 

 

  1. Your Style of Mine?
    1. In groups, females are more likely to change their styles to adapt to the presence of males.
    1. Women will raise their voices, interrupt, & become more assertive.
    2. Women may also exaggerate their well female-style behaviors.
    3. Women may wait for their turn to speak, therefore speaking less.
    1. Play among children:
    1. When girls played with girls, there were more frequent collaborative & cooperative exchanges.
    2. When boys played with boys, there were more controlling & domineering exchanges.
    3. But when girls played with boys, they adapted the boys’ style
  1. Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?
    1. Lack of familiarity with military/sports metaphors can lead to failure of comprehension: "Sticking to your guns", "calling the shots", "the ball’s in your court"
    2. Women are beginning to use metaphors from cooking, birthing, & sewing.

      3. e.g. This project is like needlepoint, it required close attention to detail.

    3. When women tries to be like men, they find themselves distressed with negative reactions.
  1. Change Others By Adapting Your Style
    1. Ally yourself with your colleagues and respect them, they will be your best allies.
    2. Men doctors can choose to be authoritarian, but women doctors can’t
    3. Deviating from accepted social norms always carries a price.
    4. Erin Brockovich & Ally McBeal
  1. Flexibility: A Braid is a Stronger Rope
    1. Flexibility & mutual understanding will reduce the frustration of both genders.
    2. The company that is able to accommodate employees with a wide range of styles will have more flexibility in dealing with a range of customers.
    3. If more people’s styles are accommodated, more talents & ideas will be available.
  1. Will Talk About Gender Differences Polarize?
    1. Women are seeking alternatives because they are tired of feeling like strangers in a "strange land".
    2. When you try to adopt an unnatural style, you may behave in inappropriate ways and betray your own discomfort that you actually feel.
    3. Comprehensive training & awareness are needed to make the workplace world a better place to live in to understand & appreciate differences.

Women

Men

1. accept criticism & rectify behavior

1. Keep doing things same way even after being told it’s wrong.

2. Not shy to ask for advice or guidance

2. Prefer taking a guess

3. Able to admit they are wrong

3. Deny fault

4. Wait for their turn to talk

4. Interrupt other people to voice their opinions

5. Are perfectionists

5. Don’t touch up their work.

 

  1. Conclusion
    1. Today women hard & stared adversity straight in the face to achieve their desired success.
    2. Women can hold her own in the workplace & also raise a family.
    3. About 40% of business school grads are women, 38% of all business owners in American are women
    4. Approx. 25% of doctors & lawyers are women; 43% of all medical students are female; 50% of all law students are women.
    5. There are still lots of room for improvement

* So if your receptionist is a woman, cut her some slack because she may be your boss some day!