Being the Only Girl in the Room: How to Deal With it
You may be going to an event, your workspace, your lecture at college or any other place, and, when you arrive, you realize there are a lot of men in the room. You are the only or one of the few women in there. What do you do?
If you have never been in this situation: amazing! But, as the estimated time for women and men to reach equality is more than a century, it’s very likely that you will face something like this in the future. At first, you will probably feel uncomfortable because it’s a male-dominated place. They may belittle you and doubt your knowledge and/or capacity to do the job. Don’t let this affect you, you know your worth!
Here are some tips on how to get through it successfully:
Observe
Look around. Analyze the people and their behavior, trying to find a communication style that matches yours. If you’re introverted or tend to be quieter, look for someone or a group with these features. Otherwise, look for the extroverted ones.
Approach
Go to the person or group and present yourself. Talk about your motivation to be there and what are your goals in the event/class/workspace. If they are friendly, that’s nice! If not, move on. You may find some unpleasant people, but be respectful.
Networking
After talking to some people and finding a match, it’s time to network! Create connections with them and talk about your interests. This is an opportunity to not only learn new things but also to share your knowledge.
Be strong
If you are the only girl in the room, you are standing for all of us. Be strong and, if something or someone is trying to put you down for being a girl, show them what you came here for, raise your head and walk away.
Talk about the gender gap
Try to bring up the fact that there are only one or a few women in the room. Make them think about it and ask why they think it’s happening. This is a great chance to exchange information about gender equality.
Extra tips:
- If there are any girls, go talk to them. They may be feeling uncomfortable too and some support from another woman would be awesome!
- If something or someone is making you really uncomfortable or even harassing you, go to the security team, the event organizer or someone that can help you.
- Don’t isolate yourself. It doesn’t matter where you are, you can learn something and find awesome people, at least try! Don’t let the opportunity pass you by!
- If a guy or a group starts ignoring you or doesn’t listen to your ideas, try to politely point out this problem to them. If it doesn’t work, leave!
I hope these tips help you when you face this kind of situation.
Remember: Never give up on something because you think you don’t fit for being a woman. If you are the only girl in the room, go for it! Face it!
