Despite it being 2020, we still live in a fairly sexist social culture. And despite the booming feminist movements for equality, it seems there are still some deeply engrained gender gaps in both pay and perception. Simply put, men get more respect.
Why are men’s accomplishments regarded as better than women’s – even if it’s the very same accomplishment?
Taylor Swift sang it best in her song “If I Were a Man” when she melodically says,
“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.”
Why are we still asking questions like this in the twenty-first century and what can women ever do to finally gain some respect around here on planet earth?
Keep reading to find out 6 reasons why women are still playing second fiddle to men in the workforce.
6 Reasons Why Men Get More Respect Than Women And Why It’s Tired AF
Women Aren’t Seen as Bosses
Research shows that women score statistically higher than men do when it comes to being effective leaders in the workplace. So, why do men get more respect? Why are they still regarded as the weaker sex in the workplace?
Unfortunately, there’s still an old school “boys club” mentality that makes people -specifically men- not want to listen and respect to women in a professional setting.
Think of it like a sister being put in charge of her three rambunctious brothers. When she tells them to stop playing video games and to go do their homework, what are the odds that they are going to listen? Probably minimal.
Men Are Less Emotional Than Women
Men are often regarded as more logical, rational, and less emotional than women. This causes them to be seen as strong leaders, whereas women are seen as hormonal crybabies who can’t lead a team if their life depended on it.
Are women emotional? Sometimes.
Are men emotional? Sometimes.
It should not matter whether or not a woman is more sympathetic, gentle, or emotional than a man when it comes to the workplace. All that matters is that she worked hard and got the job done.
Sex Gets In the Way
When a man comes into work wearing a suit he’s seen as professional, but if a woman wears a full suit she’s seen as stuffy. What happens if she wears a skirt-suit?
Often, even the slightest feminine dress will have a woman branded as a seductress and discredit the hard work she has put into her project.
Rumors run rampant about her choice of clothing. “She probably only got the job because of the way she looks” or “Maybe she’s sleeping with the boss and that’s why she keeps getting the big accounts?”
Whether it’s the way she looks or dresses, co-workers will find any reason they can to discredit her hard work.
Generational Gaps Divide the Sexes
Yes, this is “ageist” and certainly doesn’t apply to everyone, but the hard truth is that there is still a generational divide. Some baby boomers still look at women like they should be in skirts behind a wooden desk with a typewriter.
These are often the same men who still think it’s okay to pinch a girl’s behind as she walks by.
This delusional and outdated thinking is often excused with a dismissive wave and a sentiment that “Don’t mind so-and-so, he was just raised in a different generation!”
Well, guess what? Gen X and millennial women were brought up to respect their elders, so why aren’t they receiving respect in return – especially for a job well done?
Women Are Not Exempt
Sometimes the reason that women aren’t being credited for their accomplishments has nothing to do with men and everything to do with other women.
Most women have experienced the trauma of working with a petty girl before, and nothing about the experience is fun.
Jealousy and inferiority complexes can cause women to tear their fellow females down, especially in the workplace. They may tear down her accomplishments, talk about her behind her back, spread rumors, and otherwise belittle her professional efforts.
Sexism Sucks
You may ask, “How is this still a socially acceptable thing?” or “Why is a man’s accomplishment more respected than a woman’s?” The bottom line: because the world is still pretty sexist, and it sucks.
When it comes to workplace bullying, studies show that 70% of the perpetrators are men and 60% of the targets are females.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way. The more outspoken, respectable, baller boss babes we have out in the workforce, the easier it will be for generations to come to get the respect that they deserve in the workplace.
Regarding careers and accomplishments, Taylor Swift wrote,
“They’d say I hustled. Put in the work. They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve. What I was wearing, if I was rude. Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves.”
Women work just as hard as men do yet men get more respect. It’s time we start showing women the respect they deserve and stop stripping them of their accomplishments.
2 Comments
I am a 12 year old boy and I am writing an essay about why women deserve respect and am definitely ganna use some of this info in my essay, thanks! and also, well said bye the way.
Women are just as effective leaders as men and vice versa when BOTH are given a fair chance. The statistic and overall political idea that women are “more effective leaders” is abundantly incorrect in both the impossibility of its research parameters and the crooked implication that if you are a man, you are inferior to women as a leader (of course, most certainly a warranted and just response to modern misogyny amirite ladies?) There is enough research to prove men are also great natural leaders. The social stratification that has universally tasked men as the protectors and leaders of societies at large is only one blatantly obvious indicator of that reality, but hey, let’s pretend men are all bumbling incompetent fools for the sake of your indignance. It serves as a great message to our already troubled generations of growing boys.