The Curse Of The Competent Woman | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

The Curse Of The Competent Woman

The better you are, the harder you have to work.

420
The Curse Of The Competent Woman
Makers

I’m going to say the thing you’re not supposed to say: being a working woman is not easy.

Women who are FTYR (full-time, year-round) workers are still only making about 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man. While this number has been on the rise since the 1960’s (when women were only making 60 cents to the dollar!!!), and women are outnumbering men on college campuses by a wide margin, this is still a major issue. Men and women are still not equal players in the workforce.

Sheryl Sandberg, a woman I mentioned in a previous article, is the COO of Facebook and well-versed on why women aren’t as “successful” as men in the workforce. Her book and her—TED Talk—explore many different facets for this argument, some of which relate to motherhood. One of her biggest arguments is that women don’t negotiate for a raise as often as men. When they do negotiate though, they tend to do better than their male counterparts. Sandberg herself was nearly a prime example of this problem when she didn’t want to negotiate the terms of her contract with Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook) for fear of losing the opportunity.

After looking at a study on starting salaries of master’s degrees, students found that 57 percent of male students tried to negotiate for a higher offer, whereas only 7 percent of female students tried. Part of this difference is because the risk of negotiating is far greater for women than it is for men.

What could women have to risk by negotiating? Their reputation.

Women’s success and likability are negatively correlated, meaning as one factor goes up, the other goes down. There is an expectation for women to be nice, polite, not forceful and communal. This notion of how women should act creates gender norms that suppress women’s ability to be successful.

I had a coworker and good friend say to me just a few weeks ago, “I feel like I can never bring up my personal life at work because I want to be taken seriously." Women are held to a much different standard than men, based mostly upon gendered norms.

One of my favorite research experiments is the Heidi/Howard experiment done by a professor from Colombia and a professor from NYU. The experiment tested people’s perceptions of successful men and women. The study centered around a real-life business woman named Heidi Roizen. They gave her story to one group of college students and polled the student’s impressions of her. A different group of students were given the same story with only one difference - rather than using the name Heidi, they used the name Howard.

Not surprisingly (or maybe you’re going to be very surprised), Howard came across as the more appealing colleague. Even though they both displayed the exact same character traits, Heidi was perceived as more selfish and thus less likeable. These perceptions hold true for both male and female students participating in this experiment.

The standard for women is simply not the same for men, even in just the way they "should" dress. In a department at my school, there are four “core” male professors and three “core” female professors. The female professors are all well-dressed in dresses, nice slacks, fancy tops and high heels, typically with accessories to match. In comparison, all the men wear jeans, (sometimes) polos and either sneakers, flip flops or the occasional loafer. It seems unreasonable not to equate that to gendered expectations. If women were more equal, would these female professors feel less pressure to dress nice in order to be taken seriously?

Women who are competent leaders and skilled workers face a lot of pressure at their jobs. I’ve seen it in myself and I’m sure many of my colleagues have as well. A cycle starts to occur where, when women are asked to do something that would “prove their worth” around the office, they feel pressured to say yes in order to show that they’re competent. Now, in order to maintain that competence, women have no choice but to say yes when asked to perform a task. If they were to say no, then they "aren't a team player" or "can't do it". A research article about women’s leadership said, “research shows that people fail to recognize women’s leadership potential even as they acknowledge women’s leadership competencies” (Ely, Ibarra, and Kolb, 2011). This is a really powerful thought, given that women must continue to prove themselves over and over again.

Are we ready for a world where men and women are making equal incomes? Where it’s a fifty-fifty chance in a heterosexual relationship whether or not the male partner or the female partner will make more money? I don’t know. What I do know is, like Sheryl Sandberg, “I believe women can lead more in the workplace”.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
success
Degrassi.Wikia

Being a college student is one of the most difficult task known to man. Being able to balance your school life, work life and even a social life is a task of greatness. Here's an ode to some of the small victories that mean a lot to us college students.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

6 Signs You're A Workaholic

Becuase of all things to be addicted to, you're addicted to making money.

15
workaholic
kaboompics

After turning 16, our parents start to push us to get a job and take on some responsibility. We start to make our own money in order to fund the fun we intend on having throughout the year. But what happens when you've officially become so obsessed with making money that you can't even remember the last day you had off? You, my friend, have become a workaholic. Being a workaholic can be both good and bad. It shows dedication to your job and the desire to save money. It also shows that you don't have a great work-life balance. Here are the signs of becoming a workaholic.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 Life Lessons For The Camp Counselor
madison miller

Spending five, 10 or even more weeks in the outdoors leading elementary to high school aged kids for a week at a time is unique, to say the least. You see things in yourself you didn't think were there and experience emotions you can not explain. What you learn is valuable for more than just camp, but extends to life after the summer.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Things You Can Get Away With Now That You're At College

83% of my trends in college would have been shamed in high school.

1444
college life
Google Images

Transitioning from high school to college can be a stressful experience, especially if you're like me and hate change. Over the past two years I've realized there's many things I couldn't get away with in High School that are typically applauded in college.

1. Eat

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf

Life is hard. You know what makes it even more tough? Living with chronic b*tch face (CBF). This condition is so debilitating that I have decided to chronicle the 10 things everyone who suffers from CBF experiences. Who better to help me than the queen of CBF herself, Blair Waldorf?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments