Ducks In A Row: Sisterhood? Not Hardly
by Miki Saxon
An interesting article from Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant shows exactly what woman in the workplace face and the thin line they walk when they speak up.
We’ve both seen it happen again and again. When a woman speaks in a professional setting, she walks a tightrope. Either she’s barely heard or she’s judged as too aggressive. When a man says virtually the same thing, heads nod in appreciation for his fine idea. As a result, women often decide that saying less is more. (…) Male executives who spoke more often than their peers were rewarded with 10 percent higher ratings of competence. When female executives spoke more than their peers, both men and women punished them with 14 percent lower ratings.
The critical words are, “both men and women punished them;” again, not a surprise.
The findings in the article aren’t new or even that surprising (here are two more from 2008 and 2009); I heard similar comments more than 30 years ago.
It gives the lie to the myth of sisterhood.
I never believed in the whole sisterhood thing — the idea that women supported each other.
I got support and encouragement from the men in my work world — it sure didn’t come from the women.
That’s not to say that women don’t form solid relationships and support each other, of course they do, but they aren’t based on an accident of nature, i.e., plumbing.
They’re based on common interests and ongoing discovery.
So while ‘sisterhood’ has worked for some, it’s dangerous to assume it works for all or all the time.
Image credit: MattysFlicks
