A Female Brain Is A Good Brain
Can We Talk About A Female Brain Advantage? Nah, Better Not. I Can Settle For “Equal.”
Come on—we’ve always known we’re different from men. But admit it, it hasn’t seemed like a good idea to talk about this in the past. I’ll be the first to admit that I used to insist women and men were the same, because, in my mind, this meant “as good as men.”
Newsweek’s article. Why Girls Will Be Girls, mentions the work of neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine who delineates the differences found in the female brain. These are physical differences as well as hormonal. In the Nature-Nurture debate, some people argue that Nurture can make such a huge impact that you can attribute gender differences to Nurture alone. Any woman who has experienced childbirth can attest to the not-too-minor effects of hormones!
Let’s admit the differences—and recognize the benefits. And, the Good News is, NOW is the right time to say these differences are OK. Here’s the evidence for this perfect timing.
Point #1: Women are half the U.S. workforce. That pipeline we were told needed to be filled before women advanced in the workplace—well, it has been filled. Women account for 46.5 percent of today’s workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This percentage is up from only 33.9 percent in 1950.
Point #2: Women are half of our companies’ managers, as confirmed by a recent Catalyst report.
Point #3: Women are rated slightly higher than men as managers, as detailed in this Women’s Lunch Talk on Proof That Women Make Great Managers.
Point #4: Some of those Female Differences are exactly what flexible businesses need today— collaborative leadership, relationship skills, sharing of information, and comfort with ambiguity. For more on this, see this Women’s Lunch Talk posting on Female Behavior Traits.
Point #5: And if your company is looking for skilled employees, women are now 60% of the college graduates.
I have three more points I could mention, but why overdo a good thing? (I can’t resist . . . women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men, corporate financial success is linked to more women in upper management, women hold 80% of the consumer market.)
Tip: If you agree that it’s time for women to stop being treated with second-class employee status, let people in your company know these Good News facts. And, if they’re interested in the financial upside of promoting more women to upper management, refer them to the BusinessWeek report that shows corporate financial success linked to more women in upper management of Fortune 500 companies.
Further Reading:
Podcast (just a few minutes), Working in Heels, by Nancy Clark, Nature vs. Nurture
—Men and Women: Different But Equal
Podcast (just a few minutes), Working in Heels, by Nancy Clark, Gender Stereotypes Hold Women Back —Those Little Put-Downs Really Do Add Up! or read it here.
Podcast (just a few 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? or read it here.
Blog, Women’s Lunch Talk, by Nancy Clark, Build Your Business Network —Build Your Business Network One Event At A Time
Website, WomensMedia, by Bonita Banducci, Equality and Equity— Equal and Different
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