Reverse Sexism in Business

It seems so long ago that it was acceptable to discount a woman’s worth in business just for the fact that she was a woman.  Although there was a time when comments like, “She doesn’t know how to write a report, she’s just a woman,” and “What does a woman know about finances?” were common place, recent advancements in human behavior has pulled an entire generation away from such language.  Or, has it pulled us too far in the other direction.

Recently I was at a master mind meeting with a bunch of coaches, and was appalled by some pretty harsh reverse sexism.  This group is coed, with one fairly strong female who makes an effort to educate all men about unsexing their language.  Like using the term salesperson instead of salesman, or saying ladies and gents in place of “Hey guys!”  She seems so PC, I was taken off guard when sexist statements started coming from her mouth.

The most significant was when one man was sharing about a video he had written that was performed by a woman.  He said, “I really tried to think like a woman.”  Then our PC mascot replies with, “You mean you tried to think?”  Now if we were all hanging out having a drink, that comment would have been pretty funny.  I would have laughed.  But this was a business setting, and it was coming from the mouth of our proclaimed anti-sexism activist. 

I’m not a man, (obviously) but I was truly offended by this statement.  Hey Ladies, you gotta give what you want to receive!  It’s not fair to demand a certain level of behavior from others and then use that lower level  behavior to chide them.  Not every man you meet is to blame for the oppression of women, the glass ceiling, genital mutilation, or date rape.  In fact, most men these days, especially in business, seem quite welcoming of the female presence. 

Remember, if you want men to like you, you must like them.  So, give a brother a break!  Pick one guy in your life (or one you just happen to come by) and tell him something you admire or appreciate about him today!  Who knows, it might feel so good; you might start forgiving you dad for not teaching you how to play football.  Or, this unexpecting man might tell you something he admires or appreciates about you in return.  Either way, positive man talk will only bring good things.

Jessica Sabatini
www.The360Woman.com
jessica@the360woman.com