I read this article on the BBC and, amidst, I confess, a bit of snorting at the 'onslaught of the beige' that seeks to turn everything into bland and inoffensive social 'oatmeal', I did ponder at the breadth and depth of gender stereotyping and the harm (if any) it does to both men and women.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21033708
A real life example that springs to mind is my friend and colleague at work.
She is as bright as they come and very capable and she thinks the way I do (but not exactly) so we work as a team marvellously when we are stringing code together. She is also drop-dead beautiful; the sort of good looking lass that gets a lot of attention wherever she goes. You'd think that having both brains and looks would be a double advantage but I have witnessed myself where her capabilities are underestimated because of her appearance. I have even heard it being recommended during safety qualification training that she 'dowdy herself down' a bit on site because she could represent a health and safety risk for the chaps working at height on scaffolding as they try to get a good look at her! Mind you, I do understand that to an extent; I work with her every day and she can still be a bit of a distraction on occasion {:chuckles ruefully at the weakness of his gender:} but is it really something that needs saying out-loud, especially in a group where she is the only woman?
So, is this a serious issue that needs addressing or a matter for individuals to handle as best they can with perhaps a bit of prodding for social evolution without turning everything into 'neutral shades'? I know that it 'bugs' my colleague and I am certain she cannot be the only lass in a similar situation where what they look like on the outside moulds peoples preconceptions without any reference to the skills or knowledge that they have.
A semi-related matter is the stereotyping that comes with age - I have experienced the positive side of this myself for, as I have gotten older and greyer, when I speak up at meetings I have seen that I get listened to more readily and what I say is given more weight. Has anyone else got any tales of how 'assumed experience' has come into play as the mileage mounts?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21033708
A real life example that springs to mind is my friend and colleague at work.
She is as bright as they come and very capable and she thinks the way I do (but not exactly) so we work as a team marvellously when we are stringing code together. She is also drop-dead beautiful; the sort of good looking lass that gets a lot of attention wherever she goes. You'd think that having both brains and looks would be a double advantage but I have witnessed myself where her capabilities are underestimated because of her appearance. I have even heard it being recommended during safety qualification training that she 'dowdy herself down' a bit on site because she could represent a health and safety risk for the chaps working at height on scaffolding as they try to get a good look at her! Mind you, I do understand that to an extent; I work with her every day and she can still be a bit of a distraction on occasion {:chuckles ruefully at the weakness of his gender:} but is it really something that needs saying out-loud, especially in a group where she is the only woman?
So, is this a serious issue that needs addressing or a matter for individuals to handle as best they can with perhaps a bit of prodding for social evolution without turning everything into 'neutral shades'? I know that it 'bugs' my colleague and I am certain she cannot be the only lass in a similar situation where what they look like on the outside moulds peoples preconceptions without any reference to the skills or knowledge that they have.
A semi-related matter is the stereotyping that comes with age - I have experienced the positive side of this myself for, as I have gotten older and greyer, when I speak up at meetings I have seen that I get listened to more readily and what I say is given more weight. Has anyone else got any tales of how 'assumed experience' has come into play as the mileage mounts?
