The idea of men discriminating against women to prevent them from pursuing certain jobs or from reaching higher-level positions such as senior management in America is a myth.
Women can and will do the jobs that they are capable of and that they want to do.
I make these statements on the basis of one observation:
American corporate life is driven almost completely by greed.
So, if a male hiring manager can hire a woman that will make him look good, he will.
That greedy manager wants a bigger bonus and if she can get him that bonus he will hire her.
Let me add this: Men are pigs and will lust after women, demean them, try to hit on them, and so on, at work and outside work. That seems to be an unfortunate part of male DNA.
But, when it comes down to getting the job done, a man tends to hire the best person for the job. If the applicate is a woman I would even bet money that she has an advantage over a male applicant with the same qualifications (the eye-candy factor).
So, why are there so few women scientists and computer engineers in the USA?
I would counter that with the following questions:
Why are there so few women plumbers in the USA?
Why are there so few women electricians in the USA?
Why are there so few women dry-wallers in the USA?
Why are there so few women auto mechanics in the USA?
Why are there so few women participating on volunteer open source software projects like linux and firefox?
Why are there so few women on the John Deere tractor repair forums?
Why are there so few women that work on their cars on weekends?
Why is it mostly the men who do the mechanical repair work around the house?
Here's the reason: In general, women don't like to be plumbers, electricians or dry-wallers,
they don't enjoy mechanical or dirty work, and they don't like writing software. Extrapolating this slightly, I claim that women don't enjoy senior management either.
At some point, we need to wake up and smell the stale coffee that has spent all day simmering in the office kitchen-area: there are some things that women just don't want to do, and they won't do those things even if they pay pretty well.
Cindi Lauper put it best: Girls just wanna have fun.
Women do the jobs that they like to do, and are less influenced by money and power than men are. So, if we stopped trying to lure them into doing the other jobs that they don't really enjoy, and won't be happy in, maybe we'd all be happier.
Time for today's quote, that is not surprisingly by a woman:
Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.
-Marian Wright Edelman:
Until the next time, gentle reader, I remain as always
Your Friend,
-Buford Twain
