The Problem With Women In The Workplace Is…

… the women, apparently. Or so we should believe if this poll, cited by Jezebel, is worth the pixels it’s printed on.
In the title of the Jezebel piece we learn”84 Percent of Experienced Women in Tech Have Been Told They’re Too Aggressive” but this data points should not be considered the root cause of the vast majority of problems women face at work.
The fundamental issue… pervasive across all of the nuanced areas these sorts of polls tried to bring to light… is just simply that they are women.

They surveyed “200+” women, “focusing on women with at least 10 years of experience. The survey is largely bay area with 91% in the bay area/silicon valley right now. We have a broad age ranges with 77% 40+ and 75% have children. Our respondents hold positions of power and influence with 25% are a CXOs, 11% are Founders, 11% are in venture.”
The results are disheartening. For example, on basic workplace dynamics:
84% have been told that they were too aggressive, with half hearing that on multiple occasions.
It is difficult for women in tech to strike the right balance without being seen as too meek or too harsh:
47% have been asked to do lower-level tasks that male colleagues are not asked to do (e.g., note-taking, ordering food, etc.)
32% disagree that they have been asked to do these tasks.
And, in terms of sexual misconduct:
60% of women in Tech reported unwanted sexual advances
65% of women who report unwanted sexual advances had received advances from a superior, with half receiving advances more than once
1 in 3 have felt afraid of their personal safety because of work related circumstances.
And there’s the rub; men have different expectations about their work experience than women do, and in the modern age of heightened sensitivity about how women should be treated at work, all that has been accomplished is to further isolate the genders from each other rather than blend them together and blur the lines of separation: There is no equality wherever there is an expectation of receiving different treatment.
Putting aside the sexual harassment issue (because there are laws on the books, and potentially criminal repercussions for such behavior), let’s focus on the workplace environment. Ask yourself when the last time it was that you heard a male employee complain about being given a lower level assignment then a male peer… In today’s labor market, he’s just happy to have the job at all.
To be sure, there is gender disparity in the workplace… but there’s no room at work, anymore, for giving subgroups of the workforce special accommodation or consideration in order to make them feel more equal.
[Images via GirlsChase & Jezebel]