Two minutes.
I took my watch (and glasses) into the bathroom this morning and timed - very roughly - how long I was in the shower for. I didn't include the water running to warm up period as I can't do much about that, except get in a cold shower and not even for my grandchildren will I do that.
I washed all over and probably could cut it down a bit more. But I was trying hard and most mornings I'm not awake enough to think about it. And some days it's just nice to stand and let hot water flow over you.
Anyway the over clip of radio I heard was about how women can learn to speak up in meetings. Apparently it is a well-recognised fact that business meetings will be dominated by men. I find that quite surprising: I thought it was just because I'm shy and polite that I'm not very good at joining into discussions/conversations. And in meetings I have attended I haven't noticed the women being particularly backward.
Then again I know some men who do so love their own voices.
One of the problems is that when women do speak up they can sometimes come over as aggressive. Or perhaps are seen that way by men.
One of the suggestions was saying, 'Actually I'm going to interrupt you here ...' and doing just that. And the experts pointed out that each time you speak up you gain confidence making it easier the next time. And you also give other women the same confidence.
Which is fine unless you've got a quiet voice and tend to go unheard no matter how much you speak up.
2 comments:
Liz--The last study I read included the observation that women had a hard time butting into the stream of dialogue and of being taken seriously unless the meeting was populated to the extent of about 70-75% (I don't really recall...it may have been 65%) by women. Otherwise, the men supposedly feel free to dominate. Additionally, as I'm sure we've all heard, a woman's message is only recognized when it is, later, espoused by a male - at which point, no one recalls that the woman said anything. Oh, me. As an engineer, I was sometimes the only woman in a meeting. Having overcome my basic shyness while in college, I doubt that I had as much trouble as that provided less "aggressive" women; but, it was still an issue. If enough of us women display aggression, do you think it will become accepted as a positive feminine trait?
The US Navy taught me that any shower lasting more than 2 minutes was a "Hollywood" and verboten. (The temperature of the water didn't seem to matter.) By necessity, I still take a cold shower on occasion; but, I'm with you. I want warm water!
Cop Car
If we can come up with a more positive term for aggression - such as constructive intervention for example - I'm sure it could be viewed as a good thing, Cop Car! I really hadn't realised there was still a problem I have to admit. I am naive in many things.
Post a Comment