Why do you want a job like this if you have a family to take care of?
Sexism in the workplace
Sexism in the workplace can take on different meanings for different people. I don't feel that the victims of it feel any differently one way or the other. There is of course sexual harassment that can occur regardless as to job grade or gender. The book and film "Disclosure" took a hard look at this topic while reversing what we would expect traditionally to occur. A female boss pursuing her subordinate. Would the book and film have been as popular if it portrayed a male executive pursuing one of his direct reports? even as I write this I had to catch myself. I initially referred to the male boss as a "bloated executive" and trusting that you the reader would understand that I was inferring it was a male boss.Two terms t I found interesting was "Benevolent Sexism" BS and "Hostile Sexism" HS Benevolent sexism is sexism directed at a stay at home mom where as hostile sexism is directed towards someone seen as direct competition in the workplace. (Masser, Abrams 2004) There are several items that come to mind when considering these terms. The first issue that concerns benevolent sexism is, is the person doing what they hoped to in life? Is it fair to cast them in that light just because there is a tried and true stereotype that seems to fit? I can tell you that doctor appointments, sports, plays, play dates, birthday parties, homework, etc and everything else that goes into running a household is no walk in the park. If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that is because someone is taking care of the grass.
It is possible to hold both benevolent and hostile views of the same person. Specifically, suggested that BS would be related to the idealization and positive evaluation of women in traditional gender roles (e.g., homemakers), whereas HS would be related to the negative evaluation of women who violate traditional gender roles (e.g., career women, feminists). (Masser, Abrams p 610) The concept gets fairly complicated very quickly. Consider how a sexist person might view a woman with a family who works full time say as a nurse. Now consider how a sexist may view that same woman who has applied for an executive position in a large company. The sexist sees the nurse as less competition than that of the executive candidate. Subsequent performance reviews will have those views factored in. (Masser, Abrams 2004) The sexist is being well, sexist in both examples.
So what kind of climate does all of this create in the workplace. There was a study conducted to answer that very question. The researchers proposed that a negative attitude toward women in management will actually negatively impact the perception of job satisfaction for everyone. However the perception that men have in relation to the negative feelings about women is actually diminished by the support structure in place for men. (Wessel, Ryan 2011) This concept actually seems like a self fulfilling one. If you have a negative perception or there is an overall negative view, then the gap between reality and perception grows. Pretty soon you are right back where you started. The study also took into consideration gender and ethnicity. That was based on the assumption that minorities would be more sensitive to gender differences in the workplace. Research indicates however that gender characterizations are more pervasive and happen more quickly than any other type of characterization. (Wessel, Ryan 2011)
One of the most compelling points of the study was that men reported less job satisfaction for themselves when there was a negative perception about women. This is in spite of the fact that there is an unofficial support structure generally in place for men. (Wessel, Ryan 2011) That is not meant to say that the results for women were the same, they were not. That is to say that negative feelings women perceived were indeed higher. (Wessel, Ryan 2011)
So perhaps to answer the title of this post, maybe someone wants the job because they have a passion and aptitude for it. the interviewer would need to at least acknowledge their biases and look past them. Maybe putting the right person in the right role will do you more good in the long run.

- ReferencesMasser, B. M., & Abrams, D. (2004). Reinforcing the Glass Ceiling: The Consequences of Hostile Sexism for Female Managerial Candidates. Sex Roles, 51(9/10), 609-615.
Wessel, J., & Ryan, A. (2012). Supportive When Not Supported? Male Responses to Negative Climates for Women. Sex Roles, 66(1/2), 94-104. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-0058-6
LOVE the cartoon! This is one that I have seen in the workplace, while I find that I have been lucky to not come across as much discrimination as some, I have seen first hand how working mothers are treated differently because they have more obligations outside the workplace, which can in turn disrupt their performance in the workplace. I feel this is a slippery slope, family should be the top priority (in my opinion) however, if one can not perform their job duties, should they be given special treatment?
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a slippery slope. I think back to viewing things that way before I had kids. Maybe its a microcosm of how a society cares for their young. Of course there are those who schedule kids Dr appts at 3:00 on Fridays exclusively. That kind of crap makes it tough.
DeleteI agree that family should come first. I once had a store manager that put a lot of her responsibilities on her sales managers so she could be with her family more. I feel that there are some jobs that really aren't meant for family oriented individuals, retail being one of them.
ReplyDelete