1. Men have testosterone on their side. As I've discussed earlier, business, corporate America and Politics reward testosterone above all else. It's a steroid hormone that leads to higher risk-taking, aggressivity and a certain go getter attitude that is necessary in a cutthroat environment.
2. Women carry babies for 9 months. The whole process takes an enormous toll on the female body and while many women go back to work after their paltry maternity leave, it is difficult for them to devote as much energy and motivation to their work life, and that's basically the perception they have to endure, whether or not it's true. And in many cases, it's true. I know women with children sometimes work harder to overcompensate this perception, but the feeling I get is that no matter what they do, they are perceived as women with children and this hinders them. When it comes to men with children, it's somewhat easy for them to divorce themselves from their home life. This is a biological fact that works in their favor. The physical sacrifices a woman with kids has to make to get to the top are much larger than for a man.
3. Men get along better with each other and make deals on the golf course. Women are never on the golf course. They're not really allowed on the golf course. Yes, they are technically, but not for business. This camaraderie among men creates a ceiling for women. You can't blame them for being friends, but since they are the majority at the top, it's an unfair advantage.
Equality means a unisex society. So is true equality possible? On the sexual relationship side, women still appreciate men to be "men." They are cool with them being somewhat dominant, this is sexy to them, and this is another dimension of the issue all together. There are two opposing forces at play, the sexual world and the business world. It's gotten confusing for many. When a woman has a dominant personality and is the breadwinner of the household, it is said that she "wears the pants" in that relationship. Breadwinning and dominance are still equated to men. Women earners are considered the anomaly, and so we've made sure to label them as men if they happen to fall within that category, even though 40% of women today are now the breadwinners of their household. For men, their partner wearing the pants is kind of an insult. I've seen docile men who love it, but in order for it to work, they have to be just that, docile.
From a business and political perspective, until we find a way to have something in it for the men, a fair equal society, one in which biology remains intact, can't really happen. In other words, there is no way men will give up their dominance unless they can benefit in some way. Why would men give up their place to a woman? What does that give them? Absolutely nothing. That leaves us in a quagmire, how can equality be mutually beneficial to both men and women? Is this even possible? My proposed solution was to try to reward women for their biological strengths as we tend to do men. This would level out compensation a bit more. I'm not saying a female secretary is going to make the same as a male CEO (to be stereotypical), but if you have a team of men and women and they compliment each other with different skills as a result of their biology, then why not reward them equally.
I'm not trying to make this personal. The truth is, I don't know how far I will get in my career. I hope to continue to progress, yes, and I'm not pointing fingers at male dominance when it comes to my own life, but I am curious where the male Diane would be right now. I suspect further, basing myself purely on statistics. Afterall, I would be a tall white man, and those guys are crushing it in business and politics. As it is, my respect for corporate America is low. It's the only system we have and while flawed, it works. But part of me is sad that corporations have won the fight against individuals. Perhaps it was inevitable, but whether you're male or female, you have to acknowledge that they do have us by the balls.
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