“Even in American cities, which seem so much alike, where people seem all to be living the same lives, striving for the same things, thinking the same thoughts, there are still individuals a little out of tune with the times---there are still survivals of a past more loosely woven, there are disconcerting beginnings of a future yet unforeseen,” "Double Birthday," Willa Cather.
That was written by Cather in her short story, "Double Birthday," in 1929. It is now the middle of the year in 2016, almost a century later, and those same words can still be applied to the society that we live in and many of the gender-based double standards and biases that are still alive and overwhelmingly prevalent in social and professional spaces.
The older I get, the more professional interactions I experience that require me to act in a way that requires more authority of me than previous jobs, and the more I realize just how much gender can skew the way that I, and others, can be treated in a work place or as an authority figure. In various conversations recently, I have been confronted by comments or perceptions which entailed the opinion that a male, or someone older (even though I am 20 years old), would be a better candidate for a certain job that I currently held, for I was in an authority role over both male and female individuals, and more organization and control would be more effectively delivered if there were both a male and a female in the roles of authority, rather than two females, because I guess two women are just incapable of being in authority and being respected by mixed gender groups. Fun fact: this “advice” was given by a male individual. Anyone surprised? Sorry, had to, but I'll keep the sass under control from here on.
This means that women are still not taken seriously in the way that they are able to effectively run, manage, and be respected by mixed gender groups. Men obviously can only handle men (and women), and women can only handle women in the most effective way. Males are still looked to as having more natural dominance and power in professional situations and women are questioned at the level of control they are able to execute due to their age, or just due to their gender in general. Why can’t we both be natural leaders? There are definitely powerhouse leaders that are both male and female that have contributed to the world as we know it in positive and productive ways.
Some circles consider our society to be in the fourth wave of feminism and we are still fighting for the same things that the rising female leaders of the 1900’s were, just in different contexts and scenarios, but ultimately, the same issues remain. Women are still fighting the “bitch”, “bossy”, “pushy”, and “emotional” stereotypes to be successful in the jobs and careers that they embark on. The slang and hashtag term “girl boss" has again caught fire, thanks to founder and owner of the company and brand Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso, and is one of the many phrases used by women in professional settings to counteract these negative stereotypes, and to create an even more powerful force in favor of women. Video and social media campaigns have also been created and spread across the country to change the jargon by which women are described in the workplace. Most recently, Pantene released a video that clearly defines the stereotypes that differ between both men and women in the workplace and they use their product to empower, rather than to divide.
Women are powerful, not pushy. We are passionate, not emotional. We are leaders, not sass-masters, though we can be if needed. We are bosses, #girlbosses that is, not bossy. Women in the workplace can act in the exact same ways as men, in the very same positions, but women will still be tagged with the negative stereotypes, and the men will be praised for their actions. This is not equality. Shouldn't we all be praised for actions that creates success and production in a job position? We all deserve this treatment, men and women alike.
Unfortunately, this information is nothing new. I am one of thousands upon thousands to speak and write about this, frustrated and refusing to keep silent. The point is that it is still happening. We are still having to write about it, to explain to others that feminism can’t die, what the term actually means, that yes, we still are “in the trenches”, we are having to experience this unequal treatment and doubt from others for the first time in a new job, in the classroom, on the street in public, and just about anywhere else you can think of.
Many would say that these feelings may be an overreaction, we are being dramatic, too sensitive or are just angry, raging lunatics who hate men. For one, I would say to look up the definition of feminism, for it is not something that is based on hate of the male gender, or is focused solely on women, but on equality for both men and women; everyone wins. If you meet a feminist who hates men as a part of being a feminist, then they are the ones who give feminism a bad name and an inaccurate definition. Secondly, I would stand beside Willa Cather and say that these individuals are the ones that she is describing in her short story. They are stuck in the past, a little out of tune with the times, with their eyes closed, and with ignorant minds of how the times change and evolve, and the advocation that is needed to have a voice in the world.
Women should be able to step into a professional setting, to take control in a determined way, have a passion for what she does, and not have negative and inaccurate stereotypes tacked on to these amazing and necessary qualities as a professional, job-holding, career-chasing woman. We are #girlbosses with girl power and a fire within us that cannot be quenched, even if our society tells us we do not belong, for if the men do, so do we.
My casually poetic Dad phrased it in the most simple, quintessential way: “She’s a perfect blend of both---fire and brains.”
Can I get an Amen? No, really. Do you feel the fire in your soul? The burning and trembling potential that is overflowing from your being, bursting to get out and to make a difference, to create concrete and lasting change in this country and all around the world? We raise our voices and become our own advocates not only for our fellow women, but for the men and young boys as well. It is important that men and women know the true value of each other and they treat other as such, for God sees us as children of equal important and worth connected in Christ; no one is better, no one is worse, we cannot have one without the other. We all matter, and together, we can create the change that is so desperately needed in this world.