Nature vs Nurture Is A Hot-Button Topic!

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

We women know that we’re different from men, but (and here come the disclaimers), make no mistake, we’re not all alike!  And some men are very good with so-called feminine traits, such as emotional sensitivity and multitasking, among others.  And as I said in a previous podcast, a big part of why we’re different might be attributed to pressures other than genetics.

As for the current business world, it’s been structured in a manner that’s most comfortable for men. And the men have done a good job. Thank you! But the business world is changing:  Women are trying to fit in and other economies are coming into play with creative ideas. Our current business climate needs to weather the storm—with flexibility, cultural and emotional sensitivity, and speed. This is a perfect fit if business decides to make it easy to assimilate the traits—or talents, as I like to say—women have to offer. Here are the talents most often attributed to women.

How To Change “I Speak Like A Girl” to “I Know What I’m Talking About”

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

Perhaps you’re that rare woman who proved immune to the nature-nurture pressures to Speak Like A Girl. Chances are you succumbed and now are realizing how much you want to pull yourself up to the I Know What I’m Talking About status. These pressures show up in a variety of communication differences between men and women. Deborah Tannen in You Don’t Understand explains that men use “report talk” to give information that enhances their power while women tend to use “rapport talk” to give information that helps build relationships. Women usually come out ahead in relationship-building communication—and that’s okay. What’s not okay is how we lose out sounding like a leader or an expert. We’re giving away our power in business. Take these steps to let others know: I Know What I’m Talking About.

 

 Powerful Communication For Women [5:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Money Facts You Should Know About The Gender Pay Gap

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

Do women make less money? They sure do. Let’s gather our facts together here. We’re not even going to consider part-time work—that would make the gender pay gap look even bleaker! Comparing full time working women with full time working men, we find that the women are paid 80 cents for every dollar men are paid even in the same occupations. Are you content with this? Are you going to be a good girl and say, “Thank you for the diminished returns?” Are you going to say, “But what can I do? I need this job. I want them to like me.” Or, are you going to begin making sure this no longer happens to you? I see it as my privilege to tell you two strategies that have worked for women in our WomensMedia network.

 

 Be A Woman Who Makes As Much As A Man [6:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Don’t Wait! Be A Smart Woman And Interrupt.

(Listen to it here.)

Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

You may also be interested in:  When Men Won’t Listen To You —You Have To Resort To Trickery.

Are you waiting for a lull in the conversation so you won’t seem rude? I bet that little voice in the back of your head is repeating, “Nice girls don’t interrupt! Wait your turn.” Don’t do that—you’ll miss the ideal time to make your point. You’ve probably noticed men interrupt each other all the time. And have you noticed they interrupt women even more often? Well it’s true.

 

 Smart Women Interrupt When They Need To [3:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Don’t Let This Stereotype Stick To You

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

You can’t deny it, in a business environment, as you scan a room of new faces, you notice which are men and which are women. You can’t avoid this. Studies show that we have to decide which gender we’re looking at before we can do anything more. In the fraction of a second before logic sets in, your brain makes use of stereotypes stored there to make things easier for you. Sounds like a good thing? Not if that stereotype whispers to your brain, “She’s probably not important.” as you single out a woman. This certainly is an obstacle for women, but now that you know it, here’s how you can prepare ahead of time to deflect that stereotype as others scope you out and assess your worth from a first impression.

Mars-Venus Stereotypes Are Barriers To Women’s Advancement?

“Men and women aren’t planets apart, but their stereotypes sure are!”

—Nancy Clark

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

In the recent past you could attract a lot of attention by saying women are different, very different, from men. It was a quick jump to assume that women are nurturing, and that maybe men are not—or that women show empathy, and men do not. It has become a sad state of affairs. As with all trends, this one went too far and now it’s time to reconsider.

Should We Thank Lipstick Jungle?

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

In the US there are two weekly shows competing for the popular television audience: Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle. They have a bit of something for everyone—which is what, I guess, is needed to catch people’s attention in the television market. They also have something in common—they both show executives who are women—women who can take charge.

 

 Should We Thank Cashmere Mafia & Lipstick Jungle? [4:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Do We Still Have A Glass Ceiling Because of Stereotypes?

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

I think we have a problem at work, but just in case I’m exaggerating, I’ll give you the statistics and let you decide.

In the beginning, or at least for a very long time, women have been 51% of the population. In 1950 women made up only 29% of the workforce. Today women are half our workforce (46.5% to be exact). Half of our midlevel managers are women—that sounds fair to me. But, and here’s the big but, women are only 15% of the top two tiers in the Fortune 500. So let’s do the math: Men are 85% and women are 15%. That’s a huge difference—discrepancy—handicap. At least in my mind it is. How do you feel about this? (Your comments are important to me.)

What do you surmise is the reason for the 85-15 Handicap?

 

 How Bad Is The Gender Gap At Work? [7:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Is She Too Strong? Too Pushy?

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Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

Instead of a lawsuit, I say shine a spotlight on double standards in the workplace.

People will decide what’s not acceptable behavior.

Public opinion brings rapid change, and that’s what we anticipate.

 

 Double Standards For Men And Women? [5:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Why Do We Have Mars-Venus Communication, And Why Is Mars More Powerful?

(Listen to it here.)

Be sure to visit our site, www.WomensMedia.com to get Expert Advice for Working Women.

I’m making this easy: The reason we have Mars-Venus communication has everything to do with nurture—it’s based on societal pressures—economic, psychological, and cultural pressures. This is Good News because it means our style of communication is not genetically inherited. In other words, it can be changed—easily changed. I say let’s go for it! It’s the main reason working women do not have the same power as men.

 

 Gender Communication: Nature Or Nurture? [7:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download