Women in the Workplace: Do their communication and body language leave them open to attack?
This is a guest post by Presentr Intern, Sarah Solomon
Workplace harassment has been all over the news in recent years and, despite the efforts of the #MeToo movement, it is still on the rise. Young women entering the workforce still worry about how this might impact them. Because sexual assault is far too common on college campuses, the trauma of existing in that culture extends into women’s professional lives. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, almost a quarter to more than eight in ten women experience sexual harassment or assault at work during their lifetimes. Study after study has explored the impact this has on women. According to the IWPR, women who are targets may experience a range of negative consequences, including physical and mental health problems, career interruptions, and lower earnings. In addition, sexual harassment may limit or discourage women from advancing into higher paid careers and may contribute to the persistent gender wage gap. It may also intersect with other forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
I am studying Public Health as an undergraduate and have a keen interest in the implications of this toxic culture on women. This summer I got a job as an intern at Presentr, a technology, and communication skills training company. My curiosity has been piqued about how much our development from a young age impacts the way we communicate as adults. Growing up, girls are conditioned to believe they have to dress and behave in certain ways to be accepted by society. Young women my age either take that to heart or choose to ignore societal pressure and show up in ways that are authentic to us. This impacts how we present ourselves in professional settings. For me, I believe I should be able to dress and present myself however I choose to in my personal life. I reject any expectations from adults or even my peers and want my style to represent who I am. This is a big part of the way I communicate my authenticity. However, I also recognize that the types of jobs we have impact our expression and may require us to adhere to standards. For example, because I have multiple piercings, including a nose piercing, and might get a tattoo, this might impact how I am perceived professionally and could even limit the jobs for which I might be hired. I understand that generationally there are different perceptions and having piercings in places other than your lobes or having observable tattoos might send a different message. This is one way that a woman’s outward appearance and how we communicate who we are when observed through a generational lens, can be received differently.
In learning about how others receive information, I face a problem. Can I still be my authentic self while trying to effectively communicate with others who might reject my style? It also leads me to wonder about women who are harassed because of how they look or how they behave. Does a woman who wears makeup and clothes that might show off their body provoke harassment? The messages conveyed to women throughout their lives set a specific standard and, regardless of how we choose to accept or reject that, there seem to be repercussions. If I conform to these gender norms, would I be communicating my compliance to the female image and if I reject them, am I setting myself up to be turned away from certain professional environments?
Perhaps, several decades from now, my style and expression will fit society’s standards and will be perfectly acceptable in professional settings. After all, there was a time when women were expected to wear skirts and stockings. It would be frowned upon if a woman showed up at work in pants or bare legs. We have evolved. Throughout this evolution, women are also more accepted as equal players at work (although we still have a long way to go with that one).
Another aspect of communication that strikes me as interesting is how some women were taught to make themselves small and quiet. As a soft-spoken woman who doesn’t always speak up for herself all the time, I know that I act differently depending upon with whom I am interacting. As a result, I tend to speak louder when I am with my friends and family. And, often, with professors or professional peers or managers, I am usually quieter. My parents didn’t raise me to be this way, they encouraged me to talk and be louder. This is just who I am. I recognize I tend to be more introverted.
The most worrisome thing for me is that if women like me show up in our natural way in the workplace — or if women have been taught to be quiet or small — will they be more likely to be manipulated or harassed? It is fascinating to me how different ways of communicating, including nonverbal messages, can cause people to make assumptions about who we are and how we should be treated. I know I still have a lot to learn about this, and I recognize that this topic will be explored as my peers start to populate the workforce in future years.
If you are interested in learning more about this and other communication topics, check out www.presentr.me.
