Those Little Put-Downs Add Up
 
 
We all recognize overt hostile behavior toward women:
 

• Using humor in a hostile manner.
• Engaging in negative body language or behavior (for example, men rolling their eyeballs) when women speak.
• Ridiculing women who raise women’s issues.

 
But what about those subtle acts that diminish women? Those very minor put-downs that happen every day? When pointed out, you’ll usually hear,  “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by that.”  Mary Rowe of Massachusetts Institute of Technology has termed these “microinequities.”  When these microinequities occur over and over, they serve to reduce a woman’s self-confidence, self-esteem, and her aspirations.
 
Bernice Sandler, the woman behind Title IX, pointed some of these subtle behaviors. You may notice these actions among your peers or, unfortunately, from your manager—male or female. If you think it might make a difference, perhaps a copy of this article should show up in your workplace. People are often unaware of their subtle actions.
 
Pay Attention to the Top 12 Put-Downs to Women in the Workplace
 

• Making less eye contact with women.
• Frowning when women speak.
• Grouping women in ways which indicate they have less status or are less capable.
• Valuing and praising women for their physical appearance, not for their intellectual ability. (This often occurs during casual introductions.)
• Responding more to men’s comments by making additional comments, coaching, and asking questions, and responding more often to women with “uh-huh.”
• Calling on males more frequently in meetings and in conversations.
• Coaching men but not women: “Tell me more about that.”
• Crediting men’s comments to their owner or “author” (”As Bill said…”) but not giving authorship or ownership to women. Sometimes a comment made by a woman is later credited to a male.
• Giving men more detailed instructions for a task.
• Giving women less feedback—less criticism, less help and less praise. (This is one of the critical ways in which women and men are treated differently.)
• Giving women less encouragement to take on harder tasks.
• Engaging in more informal conversation with men than with women.

 
 
Tip:  Is there anything you can do? Yes, you can start by noticing more often when these little put-downs occur. Decide which ones are the most damaging in your business or industry. Sit down and discuss them and possible solutions with others. Help them to become more aware. Then—and I know this may surprise you—you should discuss it with one or two men you think will want to help you. Women, along with men, can do a lot to change the business climate!
 
Further Reading: 
 
 
Listen to this Podcast (always less than 10 minutes), Working in Heels, by Nancy Clark, Gender Communication: Nature Or Nurture? —Why Do We Have Mars-Venus Communication, And Why Is Mars More Powerful?
 
 
Blog, Women’s Lunch Talk, by Nancy Clark, Powerful Body Language For Working Women —Women, Change Your Body Language, Change Your Message
 
Website, WomensMedia, by Debra Meyerson, Gender in Business: How You Can Handle Demeaning Comments
 
Website, Bernice Sandler, http://www.bernicesandler.com.
 
Book, by Irene Padavic and Barbara Reskin, Men and Women at Work
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