Why Girl Bosses Are Not Wanted in the Workplace, Divercity.io news, and "Eye On Diversity" - Black SIS

In the workplace, one in four women dress in a more masculine way , “acting under the belief they should look like their male colleagues to be treated seriously.” They are taking voice-lowering lessons to appear less of a “shrill female” and generally acting more *male-like.

While women should be able to dress however they may want, in a professional setting or otherwise, why have some women reported needing to?dress less femme ?or to mirror male tendencies with the hope of appearing more equal to their male counterparts?

Women-centered experiences such as pregnancy discrimination, the need for menopause ambassadors, and the term “Girl Boss” being seen as negative are influencing women in the workforce today and showcasing how difficult it is to be a woman in a male-dominated work setting.

Point Of View

Say your gender makes up about half the population on earth. While in the past, you were not able to go to college, gain a degree, or even vote on political advances that would directly affect you or your family, you are now working your way up to a senior-level position in your career. You acquired your current position because you graduated summa cum laude at an ivy league university where you gained the necessary skills to perform the job acquired along with various internships, references, and certifications to prove your standing.

You have learned to speak with purpose and clarity, lead boldly, think critically, utilize a global perspective, and devise plans based on marrying [the] industry’s needs with your company’s capabilities.

However, because conditioned awareness has taught you that these skills and attributes are simply not enough to prove your validity and readiness for the job at hand, you have had to adjust the way you approach situations within the workplace to balance what is perceived of you and the truth surrounding your ability for the role.

As you work your way toward the top positions within the company, you have been judged by your peers, subordinates, and management level as someone who is harsh, rude, and lacking merely because you do not smile enough, you are not dressed in the clothes that are assumed of you because you felt you would not be taken seriously, you appear too emotional if you raise your voice during a meeting, and you?don’t find the collective jokes funny.

This point of view is one variation of many that women have to face in a workforce dominated by men. Amongst the various daily obstacles that women face while at work, there are conditioned assumptions placed, leaving women feeling they are constantly trying to prove their standing within the company.

Some women note that if they do well, ?their male colleagues will recognize them as valuable, but if they make even a slight miscall, their gender will be collectively judged.

Pregnancy Discrimination

There exists a hardship to navigate that a woman’s male counterpart will never have to experience;?pregnancy discrimination ?can take the form of being pushed out of a company or a lack of managerial understanding of the working mother before, during, and after pregnancy, and as?about three-quarters of pregnant women ?experience some form of discrimination at their place of work, there is reason to question and create awareness surrounding the topic of pregnancy discrimination.

Some women are told their pay may suffer ?on their return to work after their maternity leave if the lack of their presence creates issues for the company;

“As a result, many women feel under immense pressure to return from maternity leave earlier than planned.”

And with some companies forcing their employees to sign an NDA in the case of maternity,?women are afraid to tell their employers of their pregnancy at all ;

“The terms of this agreement meant I was unable to name the company in conjunction with the discrimination I had faced. I did not like the thought of being silenced. Not only was I being treated unfairly but I was also being forced to mute my experiences.”

Along with pregnancy discrimination, women who experience menopause at any age are dealing with?unique obstacles? when addressing their needs to their employer or, more frequently, receiving discrimination by comments or actions from their cohorts.

Because women experience various hormonal changes throughout seasons of their life, there are genuine needs that have not been recognized in the workforce simply because these needs are not shared by their male counterparts.

Women have either been nervous about speaking out about these needs in fear of further isolating themselves within a male-dominated industry or for fear of the continuance of being treated as the lesser gender, what Virginia Valian, professor of Psychology and Linguistics at Hunter College, New York terms as,

“gender schemas : culturally bound assumptions about men and women that are unconscious.”

There are?avenues to know your maternity leave rights? and to conduct a plan for enforcement along with the hiring of a menopause ambassador when challenging these rights to your employer if they are not acknowledging them.

However,?as countries differ in paid maternity leave importance , many women aren’t only facing the push-back of their employers for receiving adequate leave support, but they may also have to succumb to the disorganization of the century-old laws within the state of their residence or origin of work regarding paid leave and treatment of mothers within the workplace.

The Modern “Girl Boss”

The idea of growing up to become a “Girl Boss” was once many young thriving career starters’ dream; being a female department head has not always been accessible or encouraged. However, what the label means now may thwart those from wanting the once revered title, turned,

“effectively a millennial Karen, only ten years younger and with a better haircut.”

Women in various industries have had to walk, talk, and act like their male counterparts within the workforce in order to gain any level of respect for their defined and often unrecognized skills.?Some women have had to try on an accidental anti-feminist approach ?when establishing their voice and presence in the workplace;

“[It] traces the rise and fall of a particular movement in feminism. Girlboss originated around 2014 as an approving description of the type of success epitomized by?Sheryl Sandberg’s ?‘lean in’ approach. It cheered on the rugged individualist making it in a man’s world through ‘moxie’ and ‘hustle.’”

The?Girl Boss was not meant to conform, she was meant to bring effective change to the workplace. ?And really, is that not too much pressure? Women are constantly told they are too much or not enough with what they eat, their weight, the way they style their face or hair, the way they speak, how often they smile… the list goes on for the stipulations placed on how women are defined by society.

There is an amount of exhaustion that comes with “being the change,” and women alone should not have to hold the responsibility of closing the gap between male-dominated industries and the women joining them.

While the Girl Boss is no longer welcome in the workplace, the new incoming?Generation Z working women are uplifting other women ?and advocating for positive change;

“[they] value individual expression,’ ‘mobilize themselves for a variety of causes,’ and ‘believe profoundly in the efficacy of dialogue to solve conflicts and improve the world.’”

Women begin the change by uplifting other women to teach the rest of the world how to uplift them too.

*Disclaimer: While recognizing that there are more than two genders to discuss within the topic of gender discrimination, this article aims to address the stigmas and grievances women face in the workforce in a generalized approach with the hope of defining the focused struggle of working women in a modern toxic patriarchal work life.

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Eye On Diversity

Black Sisters in STEM (Black SIS) is building a world that gives women of color opportunities to not only dream big but to be supported in those dreams to make them a reality. The Black SIS vision is to reinvent the journey of Black Generation Z women pursuing stem-based careers by building the largest talent base of Black Gen Z women and providing what is seen as a LinkedIn platform for Black women.

“…we help Black college women breaking into STEM careers share, learn, and get hired.”

Backed by Techstars and recently honored by the Princess of Dubai as the “Most Impactful Global Initiative,” Black SIS partners with known corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America.

The platform is built? for Black women, by Black women. Powered by AI, their platform improves the hiring ability of Black women through live projects, mentorship, and learning communities at scale.

Learn more about Black SIS by visiting their website or read more about ways to get involved with their mission here !

Prepared by: Mariah Manes