Unit 8 – Learning 2

Because of this week’s focus on gender discrimination, I have spent time reviewing books I have read recently, but this time looking for references or stories about gender discrimination. Pages that I previously read didn’t impress me about gender discrimination, but with a reread I was greatly impressed with the frequency and intensity of gender discrimination historically and even to the present day.

Historically, gender discrimination was rampant in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. J. Edgar Hoover was president from 1924 to 1972. Hoover “wanted young, energetic white men . . . men like himself” (Anders, 2011, pg. 46). During that time, “women didn’t stand a chance” (Anders, 2011, pg. 35). I found this to be appalling.

There is a common stereotype that woman are more emotional than men (Epley, 2014, pg. 125). Woman smile more often, cry more often and laugh more than men (Epley, 2014, pg. 125). Scientists can actually see people’s “emotional experiences” because they “leave physiological traces” in their minds. Scientists have found that “when people are hooked up to this equipment, research confirms that man and women watching the same emotionally evocative scenes show the same emotional reactions . . . [and] the same intensity” (Epley, 2014, pg. 125-126). What is great is that technology has proven a stereotype to be wrong.

Caroline Turner, author of Different Works: Improving Retention, Productivity, and Profitability Through Inclusion writes that out of the top three reasons women leave the workforce the top reason was child care. But after this, the motivation for leaving a job most frequently given “was lack of engagement or enjoyment in the job” (Huffington, 2014, pg. 25). Turner writes that “for women to be engaged in the workplace, they need to feel valued. And the way many workplaces are setup, masculine ways of succeeding—fueled by stress and burnout—are often accorded more value” (Huffington, 2014, pg. 26). From this, I conclude that if workplaces were not set up in “masculine ways,” fewer women would leave the workplace.

Do I see gender discrimination in the home? Definitely yes. The following is taken from a New York Times article about patterns of marriage, housework, and earnings. The article reported that “wives who earn more than their husbands also do significantly more housework and child care than their husbands do, perhaps to make their husbands feel less threatened” (Rubin, 2017, pg. 158).

Carl Jung, an influential thought leader of the last century promoted analytic psychology, which “cared about the individual’s feelings and experience with an intensity that was unprecedented in American society—a philosophy of emotional attentiveness that was especially pertinent to the nations’ female minds” (Emre, 2018, pg. 89). Even in the mind and philosophy of the influential Carl Jung, woman are overly emotional.

To the question about how I can foster recognition and a sense of belonging for women in my organization, I have thought of the following.

1. Develop a “pyramid” management chart that will consist mostly of women.
2. Design and print business cards for employees who are on our team. Many are women.
3. Highlight key employees (most of them women) on our two websites
4. Have more one on one conversations with team members.
5. Supply appropriate reading material on the subject of management and leadership to all team members

Because of this study I will be permanently more aware of gender discrimination and ways to reduced it, even in areas of my influence outside of my organization.

References

Anders, G. (2011). The Rare Find. New York, NY: Penguin.

Emre, M. (2018). The Personality Brokers. Random House: Toronto, Canada.

Epley, N. (2015). Mindwise. Vintage Books: New York, NY.

Huffington, A. (2014). Thrive. Random House: New York, NY.

Rubin G. (2017). The Four Tendencies. Harmony Books: New York, NY.