0323 網摘新聞_Women at Corporations Still Navigate Stereotype＠WitchVera的新聞記事

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0323 網摘新聞_Women at Corporations Still Navigate Stereotype

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Women at Corporations Still Navigate Stereotypes

女性在職場 仍然背負刻板印象

【2010-03-23/聯合報/G9版/夏嘉玲譯】

【PEGGY KLAUS／ESSAY／The new York Times_UNITEDDAILYNEWS／Page.8】

Last fall, while working with corporate women across various industries, job levels and generations, an age-old issue reemerged at a near-fever pitch. Women were obsessed about being labeled a “bitch,” and to a degree I hadn’t seen since the 1990s.

The reason for their nervousness? Sure, they saw obnoxious women on reality TV shows. And they endured all the talk-show lampooning of Sarah Palin and Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2008 presidential campaign. Yet one issue was even more personal: A recession was in full swing, and jobs were on the line.

As one woman put it, “Even in this day and age, a guy barks out an order and he is treated like someone who is in charge and a leader. But when a woman communicates in the exact same way, she’s immediately labeled assertive, dominating, aggressive and overbearing.”

|-How Should women deal with a double standard-|

Today, women make up half of the work force, and half of the enrollment at medical and law schools. With numbers like these, you’d think that women could finally relax and stop worrying about how they are being perceived at the office.

But women must still deal with a well-entrenched double standard when it comes to genderacceptable behavior. Because of that, they often fall victim to self-defeating actions that can undercut their careers. They may assume a strident command- and-control approach or else turn passive — by clamming up, being indirect, failing to ask for what they want or need, and refusing to delegate junior-level tasks and responsibilities.

Consider one of my clients, whose male subordinate had botched a financial analysis. Though he was at fault, she was reluctant to tell him how badly he had done because of how she would be perceived. Instead of asking him to redo it, she planned to fix the report herself.

It’s hard to blame women for this type of behavior, especially when you look at the research.

One study from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Harvard University gave participants descriptions of men and women with equivalent qualifications who had applied for a fictitious job. <<FORMAL AND INFORMAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AT WORK>>

When told that some candidates had tried to negotiate for a higher salary, the study participants — whether men or women — found fault at twice the rate with the women who negotiated than with the men who negotiated. Translation? Pushy women are less likely to be hired.

So how do women stay strong and in control, given this narrower band of acceptable behavior? They can start by revamping their communication style, resisting the extremes of acting too forcefully or shyly.

When I suggest to women that they make communication adjustments, there’s often a huge pushback. “Why do we have to change? It’s not fair,” they tell me. But women must be more mindful and use greater finesse when conveying their messages. We need to become better chameleon communicators and to carefully read our audience, adjusting our style to the circumstances.

Let me be clear. I’m not asking you to give up your soul — but rather to exercise new communication muscles so you can be heard in a variety of situations by a wide range of people.

The ultimate goal: for them to get the message without wanting to get back at you.

(中譯網頁: udn個人理財 - 理財百寶箱 - 商英精選情報 - 女性在職場仍然背負刻板印象)