Gender differences at work
Today I want to break up the parade of reviews by sharing a post from one of my favorite bloggers, Ceely from Running off the Reese's (I guess she's technically a 'fitness blog' since she talks a lot about her workouts, but really she just blogs about her daily life). I've always admired Ceely from afar not only for her honest and skilled writing, but also her no-nonsense manner. And well, she just recently wrote one of my all time favorite posts about women in the workplace. She hits the nail right on the head when she describes how women take on more than their fair share of work, oftentimes without speaking up for what they deserve (a promotion or a raise). I've mostly had female bosses in the past and now I'm my own boss so I don't have as much experience with these situations, but as a people-pleaser I know the dilemma that she and other women in her workplace face. Anyways, she explains it a lot better than I ever could so go take a quick read about it here.
P.S. I also just recently finished the book The Confidence Code, which looks at the reasons why women might be less assertive than men in the workplace (from our DNA, hormones, to upbringing and society). I really liked all the scientific studies as well as personal stories that the authors include. I wouldn't say this book is life-changing but if you ever struggle at work to speak up or ask for promotions, this book offers some tips.
P.P.S Like I said, I never really faced any discrimination or had an unfair share of work piled on me, but just recently at the Airstream garage I had a man come up to me, see me working at my desk and say "I'll come back when the boss is in". I mean wth?!! I am the boss....Except I just said "sure" and went back to work. I know I should have corrected him, but at the same time I didn't want to deal with the sleezeball. At least when I told my husband, he recognized the discrimination and we had a good laugh about it. And the guy never did come back.
P.P.P.S. Here's a fascinating podcast about how to solve the problem of the gender pay gap (and it's not just about legislation or about women speaking up for more money). It's a really interesting one from one of my favorite podcasts, Freakanomics Radio.