Gender matters: women in social media, the workplace and the world
February 24, 2011
By Amanda Ponzar
Women are fascinating and apparently extremely controversial -- whether it’s the lack of women leaders, how women are supposedly driving social media, or what we wear (and I’m not just talking about Lady Gaga’s meat dress). Check out these videos and articles on issues that affect women every day:
- Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s video “Why we have too few women leaders” looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions (government, nonprofits, corporations). For example, out of 190 heads of state, only 9 are women; in C-suite company jobs, only 15-16% are women. Even in nonprofits, only 20% of top jobs are filled by women. Sandberg offers three tips for women aiming for the C-suite.
- Next, check out this video by Johanna Blakley on “Social media and the end of gender”. She claims women outnumber men online and are driving social media change. What do you think?
Two other interesting recent articles center around dress code –- and no, it’s not just for high schools. This time, it’s Harvard Business Review’s blog on “Dress for the job you want?” which examines the heckling USB received for its 43-page dress code. In their defense, I’ve definitely seen women (and men) in the office with:
- Excessive or inappropriate tattoos (aka, the “tramp stamp”) sticking out from low-rise jeans
- “Squeezy bits” (what a British coworker of mine fondly called the exposed skin/fat rolls from mid-section muffin tops or elsewhere)
- Extensive piercings
- Wild hair (I’ve seen skunk stripes: yellow, black & red on an otherwise beautiful young lady)
- Clothes that are just too tight, too short, or too casual, like this one guy I knew who wore flip-flops to the office and then put his big, hairy feet up on his desk -- ugh
And the other dress code article from The Daily Mail –- “German courts rule bosses can demand female employees wear bras” –- including a discussion on appropriate skirt length and hair grooming. Thank God the court system is focused on the most pressing issues!
I've posted a few times on women's issues (Women making a power play and Hey, Santa, have you seen these stats?) and spoken with many women -- some are happy about the progress women have made, some are incensed and say we are going backwards. Most are too busy to care/notice.
(Photo: Sheryl Sandberg)
While I may not agree that more women than men are online via social media, I do think that women behave differently than men online. Females tend to be more supportive in online networks, while men tend to be more aggressive and sarcastic.
Posted by: Halloo | February 25, 2011 at 12:49 PM