Working for the Woman
by Miki Saxon
It’s funny how you’ll read several articles over a long period of time and suddenly your mind clicks and they go together. That’s what happened last night and I thought I’d share it with you.
First, in Business Week, The Workplace Gets Raunchier—
‘More women say they’re hearing “sexually inappropriate” comments at work, according to a 2007 phone survey just released by Novations Group, a Boston consultant. Some 38% of women said they heard sexual innuendo, wisecracks, or taunts at the office last year, up from 22% in 2006. The percentage of men hearing such comments stayed steady, at 45%. Indeed, men were more likely than women to hear all types of tasteless or questionable comments, with 44% saying they heard racial slurs, for instance, compared with 24% of women…the big increase in sexual remarks heard by women is hard to explain. One theory is that women’s impatience with such comments—rather than the comments’ frequency—is rising. But Paul Secunda, professor of law at the University of Mississippi, says the responses could partly reflect a lowering of barriers between the sexes, with male employees making remarks more openly as a way of treating women like peers. The problem, he says, is that ‘what might be reasonable to a man may not be reasonable to a woman…”
That made me flash on a question asked last month on CNN’s Ask Bing by a young (I hope) man—
‘I recently interviewed with a company for a spot with a team of five women that’s led by a woman. I am a man and my concern is that I would not fit in. Furthermore, I have heard recent statistics that a high percentage of the population would rather work for a man.
I work for a company now where it’s good ‘ole boys…I can golf, go out for drinks, swear, etc. in a corporate setting. Am I setting myself up for failure by taking a job in an arena dominated by women? The reason for change is 100% salary based.’
Personally I don’t know any managers, male or female, who would want this guy on their team, considering both his concerns and motivation.
Now add to the mix a post from Michael Fitzgerald with links to commentary on women’s strength in management, leadership, adaptability and even investing, along with the complimentary nature of women’s and men’s skills.
Good stuff, folks. Enjoy.
Would you want to work for a woman?
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