Why can't a woman boast like a man?

Here is the latest in the Gender Wars research:

Could women be hurting their wage-earning potential by not strutting their stuff?

A new study shows female managers are more than three times as likely as their male counterparts to underrate their bosses' opinions of their job performance.

The discrepancy increases with women older than 50, the study states.

"Women have imposed their own glass ceiling, and the question is why," said Scott Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management who conducted the study.

<SNIP>

In the study, 251 male and female managers from different industries nationwide rated themselves and requested ratings from supervisors, peers and subordinates. Each subject also was asked to predict the ratings made by others.

Taylor collected the data for the study in 2005 while a doctoral student at Cleveland-based Case Western Reserve University.

The ratings measured nine elements of emotional and social competence essential to leadership: communication ability, initiative, self-awareness, self-control, empathy, bond-building, teamwork, conflict management and trustworthiness.

The men who were studied slightly overestimated how their bosses would rate them, while the female respondents underestimated their ratings on average by about 11 percent.

<SNIP>

In 2008, the Census Bureau estimated women receive only about 78 cents for every dollar that men get for doing equivalent jobs.

Bonnie Coffey, president of the National Association of Commissions for Women, said women are unable to predict their bosses' assessments because of media images, particularly those of older women, that show them as silver-haired beauties or grandmothers in dumpy dresses.

"If you recognize that society doesn't really value older women, then you say, 'Gee, this isn't where I belong. Maybe I shouldn't be asking for a raise. Maybe I shouldn't be speaking up at meetings," Coffey said.

Cara Waymire, vice president for human resources at insurance brokerage Hub International in Albuquerque, said when she works with female employees on getting raises or promotions, she notices they are more likely to focus on shortcomings rather than accomplishments.

"They think the boss needs to think they hung the moon in order for them to ask for anything," Waymire said.

Personally, I think too many women, so brainwashed into thinking they must please everybody in word, deed and appearance, end up feeling less secure, less sure of themselves. Men tend to learn -- whether on the playing field, in the classroom, the workplace or even the bar -- that it's all about the score. When they're winning, they beat their chest.

Women also are more likely to be less direct than men, as so many husbands complain. (''What's the matter?'' ''Nothing.'')

Of course, I generalize. But these factors play into how women fare in the workplace. They don't get the raises or the promotions, the perks or the recognition, because they have bought into the myth that they should be seen and not heard, that they should be supportive and not out in front, and, most important, they have never really learned to fight, the way guys do.

But what's this? Even when women are record-smashing champion athletes they downplay their accomplishments.

A newly published study that included college basketball, soccer and softball players found nearly three-quarters of them engage in "apologetic behaviours" -- stereotypically feminine conduct such as cultivating a girlie appearance, apologizing for being aggressive and hanging out with men to emphasize their heterosexuality -- to deflect prejudice.

"If you break a norm, you apologize. If I burp out loud, I know this offended other people, so I apologize," says Laurel Davis-Delano, a professor of sociology at Springfield College in Massachusetts, explaining why researchers label these behaviours apologetic. "If you are offending people's sense of gender ideals... people don't necessarily realize they're apologizing, but you are catering to other people's sense of what's proper."

Most sports are still associated with masculinity in Western cultures, so female athletes are challenging gender expectations by their very participation, she says.

"You may be considered to be more masculine, just because you are a good athlete," says one study participant. Another says, "Most female athletes are lesbians."

<SNIP>

"We have come a long way but we still have a little ways to come in equality," says Katie Willis, an 18-year-old ski-jumper from Calgary who was part of the lawsuit lobbying for the women's event to be included in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. "I know a lot of girls sometimes don't feel they're equal to the guys when they're playing, or they're not respected as much."

Maybe the idea of physical power in a woman is intimidating. Although the Williams sisters are the better tennis players, their muscular physiques -- which are strong, curvy and feminine -- don't get the media attention and endorsements that much-much-lower ranked Anna Kournikova does.

Which leads to the fear of women in power.

Research at the University of Minnesota indicates that female managers are more likely to suffer sexual harassment on the job than women who are not supervisors. "This study provides the strongest evidence to date supporting the theory that sexual harassment is less about sexual desire than about control and domination," said researcher and sociologist Heather McLaughlin.

More.

(And, while we're on the subject ...)

So, here's how all this adds up: Women with the eggs to demand higher wages and better positions reach the top only to get cut down by resentful men who use sexuality to undermine them.

Nice work.

UPPITY WOMAN DATE: More at Jezebel.

Comments

[Tide Waters]

Maybe it has something to do with women being not as egocentric (in the philosophical sense) as men? As traditional caregivers, perhaps we tend to be more outward focused, looking out for the Other more than looking out for ourselves and from our own self-interest.

[anonymous]

Hate the male bashing.

There are many fields that are dominated by women-like PR

I know plenty of older career women that have no problems beating their chest constantly and are unapologetic about doing so.

[sooey]

Personally, I see the attributes of women as preferable to those of men and don't think we should emulate the boasters at all. Lead by example, I say. There's nothing to brag about in reaching the top of the rat race. You really only get there by screwing over other people.

[Luna]

This just smacks of "If women get treated as lessers, it's their own fault". I mean, look at this "Women have imposed their own glass ceiling, and the question is why," said Scott Taylor...

Really. So it's our fault. Our behaviour is considered ONLY in comparison to that of the "normal male" (a crock of crap, in and of itself). We're the others again. We're the ones who need to change. Please.

[G. Pan]

Two thoughts: 1) Bitch is a power word. 2) Studies show companies more profitable when more women in management.

[Keith]

Actually Luna, the study compared a subordinate's self opinion compared to a supervisor's opinion of that same subordinate. Once data was collected the results were summarized by gender. It seems Luna, you are upset because this study takes away the possibility of "women" being able to "blame" anyone but themselves. You seem to be upset because this study takes away the "victim" option.

I believe Luna's comment's and this study all point to the real issue. Women in general seem choose to be a victim, instead of making things happen, which is a very desirable quality of a supervisor/manager. CEO's that blame that their poor performance was due to them being the victim of a bad economy get the boat from the board. People that take the blame for thier own mistakes while attempting to make things happen become and remain CEO's.

[PaulR]

It astounds me that diversity advocates champion arguments that diversity makes a material difference in the efficacy in an organization, while at the same time flinching from data that suggests that such diverse groups might behave, well, DIFFERENTLY from the heirarchical "norm." Certainly, part of behavior must include the types of work one would seek, and the manner in which they communicate when at work, or even how they feel at work.

At my blue-chip corporation, which is woman managed and where I'm one of only a handful of men represented on management, I note that a higher percentage of women than men tend to preface their statements and questions with qualifiers about their own stupidity. Men almost never do that. These women do it all the time - with me, with their female managers. It reinforces subordination with ANYONE they do it with - including their female managers who have learned how to assert themselves effectively.

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"Personally, I see the attributes of women as preferable to those of men..." --sooey
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Outrageous sexism, pure and simple, on the face of it.
I'm pretty sure MRN sees the attributes of men as preferrable to those of women, based on a lot of his comments. Any chance you two can come to an honourable agreement to stop posting such sexist nonsense in the name of equality? Your sexisms are cancelling each other out right now anyway, so why not save yourselves the trouble?

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Women in general seem choose to be a victim, instead of making things happen, which is a very desirable quality of a supervisor/manager. ---Keith
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Other studies suggest that men (when measured as a group) tend to take more risks than women (when measured as a group)- both in the vocations they chose, and in the choices they make within those vocations. As such there is a wider range of outcomes for men on each end of the scale. Fewer rewards and fewer catastrophes. We all see the rewards of such managerial courage in the examples of male CEOs and hazardous blue collar jobs that are well paid (ie construction worker), but the failures drop out of our sight (firings, homeless, suicide).

The reason men don't like to ask for directions is that asking for help establishes a subordinate position right off the bat with a stranger. It's a challenge to overcome. A lot of men would rather risk figuring it out themselves than lose face in such a way. In the complex world of organizational politics, assertiveness tends to naturally cluster around managerial positions. I see these qualities among both the male and female managers where I work.

[sooey]

"Outrageous sexism, pure and simple, on the face of it."

Wrong again. The sexism is in NOT saying it.