Most of us have seen the Nike commercial that displays the perpetual competition between men and women. Nike’s spin on the old adage, ‘Anything you can do, I can do better,’ projects the idea that one sex is, in fact, superior.’
Although this advertisement has been shown countless times, the outcome of the rivalry has yet to be distinguished. How will we ever know each other’s strength until women are provided with the same opportunities as men?
‘ In the workplace, women are held to different standards than men. More than 30 years ago, an abundance of women were employed alongside men. However, the concept of proficient leadership is continually associated with a man’s image.’
Catalyst, an organization that studies women in the workplace, explores the stereotypes of men and women in various cultures.’
‘It’s enough to make you dizzy,’ Catalyst President Ilene H. Lang said. ‘Women are dizzy, men are dizzy, and we still don’t have a simple straightforward answer to why there just aren’t enough women in positions of leadership.’
‘ A recent Catalyst survey titled ‘Damned if You Do, Doomed if You Don’t’ questioned more than 1,200 executives from the United States and Europe. This survey showed that women who acted more feminine were categorized as inadequate, but women who pursued a more masculine role were perceived as too tough.’
Don’t get angry, but take charge. Be nice, but not too nice. Speak up, but don’t seem like you talk too much. Never, ever dress sexy. Flaunt, but do not flirt. Be assertive without being too tough. Do not nurture your colleagues, but inspire them.
Through professional research, the above persona is what most companies and businesses seek when hiring women as part of their team. More to the point, women cannot win.’
‘(In the workplace), women have to choose between being liked, but not respected, or respected, but not liked,’ Joan Williams, a law professor at the University of California, said. ‘They are expected to be strong, but tend to be labeled as strident or abrasive when acting like leaders. Women don’t advance as much as men because they don’t act like men.”
The employing preference of men over women does not only take place at corporations, but local universities also. The employment roster at the University of Texas in Austin shows a current imbalance in gender equilibrium. Reports from UH state that in comparison to men, women are receiving a significantly smaller proportion of tenure.’
In response to the low quantity of women on the faculty, 42 percent of the people hired this fall will be female, according to the UH human resources department.’
UH is experiencing a predicament similar to UT. The figures of tenure distribution stand at 26 percent for women and 72 percent for men. Unlike UT, UH has yet to make any changes in their faculty where males have taken precedence.
Although there has been progress in highlighting the potential of women, many people still fail to grasp that women deserve to aspire to greater things. Until corporations, companies and universities decide to act on it, the potential of women will remain unknown.’
