I had been having this conversation with a dear friend who needed to attend a full day training. She abandoned her 10 month old son at home with the nanny but requested me to babysit just in case of a crisis. She was worried as she was working from home and had never left her son alone for the entire day.
Good to know
I gladly consented, I was relatively free and I could do it. When she came back, she said in a classroom where she was the only girl, she felt that nobody was listening to what she was saying. And this triggered all of the books I had read, posts I had shared before on how women need to fight hard. This bit is for the girls I know and I do not – expect it changes them in some ways as it’s changed me over the years. Some facts, history and conditioning that we will need to consciously change.
Fact
A study published in the journal NeuroImage has discovered that there are significant differences in how male and female brains process voice sounds. Apparently, the vibration and quantity of sound waves within our voice makes it tougher for people to decipher what we’re saying, not like what they hear. Where as it is much easier to understand men’s voices rather than as complicated as women’s.
What we must do
Every time someone asks us girls to shut up, do not. Speak in a decrease baritone and talk slower. In offices, women and men should sharpen their listening skills rather than cut each other out until the time the speaker has finished his/her point. Fact: More of the codes written by girls are accepted on GitHub, given the sex isn’t disclosed. And this is from a minuscule 12 percent of girls coders on the stage.
What we should do
Remove this reverse bias knowingly. It’s deeply rooted in our minds, and unless we remind ourselves each time to not consider sex as a parameter to judge work, this issue won’t go away. It’s been already demonstrated that a more diverse work force is more productive and efficient. When we understand this, why do we have sex as a filter in our minds? Fact: A Harvard study shows girls participate lower in a class room setting and they don’t ask as many questions as guys.
What we should do
Encourage women to ask questions and reply when asked something. It’s wonderful how a little coaxing goes a long way in making women feel more confident about themselves and talk. You would be amazed at a few of the points which come up. And girls, ask that question, however dumb you think it is.
Fact
Many studies reveal that girls are under-confident when it comes to investing or managing finances. German Comdirect Bank and the DAB show that, women have significantly less confidence in their financial knowledge than men and that 58 percent of men rated their financial understanding as good or very good, but only 47 percent of girls.
What we should do
Let women manage their own finances, from the time they begin working. I know many young women who have begun working but under huge pressure to deliver their finances to their spouses or parents under the pre-text they wouldn’t understand how to handle it. In the end, there are other studies that show that girls and their investment plans are more stable. Centre for Financial Research at the University of Cologne discovered that female fund managers change around their portfolios less than their male colleagues.
Furthermore, women’s strategies and the following performance are inclined to be more secure. What we should do: This announcement really strikes me and I have told lots of folks who say this, including my husband, to take a hike every once in a while. I have a concept for facts showing that perhaps women do neglect more driving tests than men.
Evolution
It’s to do with EVOLUTION. Men are the hunters and have always dealt with more machines and tools. Obviously their comfort levels are much higher when they cope even with cars but that does not mean girls are shitty. Did you know men cause more accidents that girls? What does this show? The point is that when somebody says this, explain to them that driving is a lifetime skill.
Discouraging statements such as these aren’t going to help anybody, especially your mothers, sisters, daughters and wives who actually do need to understand this life skill now. So think before you talk or laugh at girls who are having some trouble and invite them not to panic when they perform. Trust me, it goes a long way in helping them take charge.
Final note
What we should do generally: Men, please be encouraging. There are centuries of pain, shackles and principles that girls can’t get out of easily. Women, don’t consider other women your contest, the worst we could do is to prevent another girl from climbing higher. Plenty of the things I have said if you see are in our heads and we can come from it. So don’t let yourselves stop what you could achieve. Aim higher, talk, take charge, and keep driving ahead.