Sexism in the workplace is alive and well
The “Mad Men” era is still with us!
Put your hand up if you have been subjected to sexism in the workplace. Yes we all have in one form or another, but most women don’t even recognize it. Take, for example, the latest female chief executive who was blamed when things went wrong at the company (think Marissa Mayer) and was promptly replaced by a male who was paid twice as much as her. Was that just a poor performing CEO being replaced or really sexism?
When you think of workplace sexism, what does it look like? Is it a male executive who expects more from his female staff and is constantly moving the goal post? While that certainly is an example of sexism and one we may believe has long since died off, far more insidious forms of sexism are alive and well in the American workplace.
They come into play when women, particularly those highly-capable women headed for the c-suite, exhibit what used to be considered male attributes, such as competence, assertiveness, decisiveness, rationality, and objectivity.
Not so long ago, overt gender bias was a perfectly acceptable office practice. (Think every single episode of Mad Men.) That sort of in-your-face sexism is not as prevalent in today’s work environment. But remember it was driven away by fear of lawsuits, not good business…
