The Just Thought I'd Share Thread

[markolas]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Having witnessed many women in the workplace over the years, I do notice a tendency for some to overcompensate, i.e., being aggressive in situations that do not warrant that kind of conduct. I often wonder whether such aggression would be tolerated if a man was conducting himself the same way; more times than not, he would be accused of creating a hostile work environment and marched off to HR. I hate to say it, but a lot of women come across inappropriately shrill and rude, thereby sabotaging their own careers, not because they are incapable of performing the job, but because they can be very unpleasant/impossible to work with.

I know it sounds awful, but it's true in my experience as well. If I go on a job interview and a woman walks in wearing a power suit and her hair slicked back like Lilith from Cheers, I know to just get up and leave immediately.

And the mind games & office politics are something else. Years ago, I worked at an insurance company - I had very insecure (female) supervisor who compensated by just being a passive-aggressive, nasty b!tch. If you had a question about something, you couldn't just ask your question; you had to gauge what kind of mood she was in first, or how to ask it in a way that didn't make it sound like you were questioning her expertise. And god help you if you went and asked somebody else and she found out about it.