We're almost finished with The Taming of the Shrew, but we're not finished with our conversations around gender. We've talked about stereotypes, our relationships with parents, dangers women and men face because of their gender, and expectations we feel based on our gender. Today, we talked about work.
Why talk about work? Well, this subject is heating up right now because of the recent decline in our economy. Women and men are losing jobs, but men are losing jobs faster than women. This is mostly because the industries hit hardest are male-dominated. But, men also average higher wages than women and may be in danger of losing jobs because of this fact.
In the article, "Neither Mice Nor Men" author Peggy Klaus talks about the double standards women face in the workplace. She talks about men who are called "leaders" when they speak their minds and advocate for themselves and women who are called "overbearing" for the same behavior. Her solution: Women need to think more carefully about how they approach confrontation with their male colleagues.
How do you feel about this suggestion? What do you think is expected of you based on your gender? We broke into our gender groups today to discuss these very questions. We'll share our thoughts next class.
