Women and Status

I've written about women and status before, What do women want? and in a few other places as well. Yesterday I was in a former bank, a bank where the bank manager would live and it was pointed out that until the 1980's being a bank manager or even working in a bank was quite prestigious. It was a steady job with a good wage and good security. That got me to thinking about why that is no longer true.

Certainly like nearly all jobs, working in a bank is no longer as secure a job as it once was. But the real change has been that banking staff have gone from being a predominately male occupation to being a predominately female one. In fact when I go to the bank it's a rare bank were even a quarter of the staff are men. Women have displaced men and it has not been an accident, it has been by design. But that has meant that in return banking has become less prestigious. In fact any occupation that becomes female dominated loses status. Why?

Because men are hierarchical and women are not. A man want to know who's in charge and exactly where he belongs. Women like to arrive at a consensus, to arrive at a place where everybody is happy with the outcome. But to achieve that women need to engage in constant negotiations. Men however make decisions and give orders. The different ways men and women behave is why strong women are seem as bitches. To be direct is a masculine way of communication and neither men nor women find it natural coming from a women, it goes against the grain.

So as an occupation becomes female dominated, the men within that field look for ways to get out and new men become reluctant to join. Feminists state that it is because men cannot handle strong women, but the truth is that it becomes a place were male virtues are seen as undesirable. And where female traits take over, cooperation instead of direct and clear lines. It involves much more talking and familiarity then most men are comfortable with.

An occupation that loses men also lose status, men are taller, more decisive, more direct, more uniform, more impersonal and competitive. Which means that women are shorter, less decisive or direct, more individual and more personal but less competitive. Companies love women because they are less confrontational, more conformist, more attractive and less competitive. That is not to say women are perfect employees, they get sicker more often, they have much more personal issues and they can produce a toxic and destructive workplace even if that is rare.

This lose of status affects women as women like status, it is why women love job titles. But it also means that women can become trapped by these symbols. Instead of having real achievements they have symbols. Instead of having a Husband and a family they instead have the symbol of a successful life, which is not the same thing at all.

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