Old school stereotypes

At my last workplace, I worked in the communications industry renting and selling satellite telephones, two-way radios, etc. The majority of our customers worked in the oil and gas field, thus I dealt with many older male customers. One situation I will always remember is when my credibility was questioned because I’m female. A man came in and started browsing around the store. Daryl, our service manager, and I were visible to him. He asked a few questions about two-way radios which Daryl fielded. After some probing, it was determined that he would need a satellite phone because the range on the radios wasn’t going to work for his backcountry needs.

Daryl then explained that it was best to talk to me, as I was knowledgeable about satellite phones that would best work in his situation. As the three of us stood in a semi-circle, the man proceed to ask only Daryl questions about the phone and Daryl would repeat, you need to talk to Sidney about this.

This man had it in his head that I wasn’t capable or well-informed about this technology since I was female. Even though Daryl told him that I knew what I was talking about, he still proceeded to ask him the questions. I would answer his queries, yet the cycle prevailed.

It was very frustrating for me and opened my eyes to gender stereotyping. I’m sure women who work in male dominated fields come across this type of label far too often, but fortunately for me, this is one of my few expereinces. These perceptions are generally held by older generations, when the wife would follow the traditional role and not work in influencing roles within a company.

In a study conducted by the Wellesley Center for Women, Ph.D. researchers Kramer, Konrad and Erkut found women’s influence in the business world showed the benefits of having women on a corporate board. While even one woman can make a positive contribution, having two women is generally an improvement, and corporations with three or more women on their boards tend to benefit the most from women’s contributions. By having women directors involved in the process, rather than an all male board, three positive results ensued; the decisions they made were broadened to include a wider range of stakeholders, they are more persistent in pursuing answers to difficult questions; and they often bring a more collaborative approach to leadership, which improves communication among all concerned parties.