The feminist movement is growing and catching fire rapidly, but that doesn’t mean women are happy to see other women climb the ladders of the career field.
We would all love to believe that all women find a sisterhood amongst themselves. We would love to see women encouraging other women in the field, being proud of their accomplishments, and using their success as inspiration for themselves.
While most of us hope this becomes reality soon, and a select few have been tricked into thinking the vast majority of women already think that way, we are unfortunately given proof every day that this just isn’t the case.
Facebook COO Sheryl Standberg’s book, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” mirrored the sentiments first expressed in Jo Freeman’s 1976 essay “Trashing: The Dark Side of Sisterhood.”
Standberg’s book pointed out that even decades after Freeman’s essay was published, the content of the essay is still very relevant today as women continue to bash other successful women.
But why?
Well according to Freeman and Standberg, many women (even those in the feminist movement) find successful women to be arrogant.
“To be something significant, to be recognized, to achieve, is to imply that one is ‘making it off other women’s oppression’ or that one thinks oneself better than other women,” she wrote.
The harsh responses to Standberg’s book served as proof that many women just still don’t have a good feeling toward female power – ironic right?
Maureen Dowd, a columnist for the New York Times, referred to Standberg as a “PowerPoint Pied Piper in Prada ankle boots” while another column on USA Today accused her of sparking a “war on moms.”
Melissa Gia Grant took to the Washington Post to bash the “Lean In” author for hiring other people to “help keep the house, raise her children and throw her women’s leadership dinners.”
You see, the standards seem to be set much higher for women in the industry. It’s not okay for a woman to go out into the world to make a career for herself and not also be a full time mother. You have to balance both on your own or you just aren’t independent enough.
Also, society says that women can only make major advancements for the sake of “the collective” but individualism isn’t as encouraged amongst women.
“Among women there are two roles perceived as permissible: the ‘helper’ and the ‘helped,’” Freeman wrote.
Results of a 2011 Gallup Poll even showed that both men and women preferred male bosses over female bosses, but didn’t really have the experience to back up that statement. It was also discovered that most employees who actually had a female boss admitted that they preferred having a female boss over a male boss.
In other words, those who claimed they didn’t want a female boss were making that assumption off of speculation and the poor light that is often shone on women but hadn’t even actually had a negative experience with a female boss.
Women aren’t comfortable seeing another lady in power and they certainly don’t want to work for one. It’s the sad truth.
A change certainly needs to happen because men and women need to be held to the same standards in the work field.
The only thing that is so troubling about the fight for women to be treated equally in the work force is that the vast majority of people fighting to hold women back are women themselves.
