How women can get past ‘meeting shutdown’
From sighing and eye rolling to outright interruptions, certain workplace indignities stifle women’s voices and contributions far more than they do men’s. The author discusses how to prevail.
It’s great that actor Jennifer Lawrence got us thinking again about women and how they (mostly don’t) speak up in meetings.
Lawrence wrote an essay for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter titled Why do I make less than my male co-stars?, in which she talked about failing to negotiate more, and asked:
Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t “offend” or “scare” men?
A few weeks ago at work, I spoke my mind and gave my opinion in a clear and no-bullshit way; no aggression, just blunt. The man I was working with (actually, he was working for me) said, “Whoa! We’re all on the same team here!” As if I was yelling at him. I was so shocked because nothing that I said was personal, offensive, or, to be honest, wrong. All I hear and see all day are men speaking their opinions, and I give mine in the same exact manner, and you would have thought I had said something offensive.
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