| Popis: |
A sk any woman manager or professional if she has thought about how she brings her femininity to work. The result would be an astounding array of answers, ranging from beliefs that “being feminine is inappropriate and perhaps sexually flirtatious” to “femininity is the distinctive competence of women.” Some women believe they are more intuitive, caring, and nurturing than the men with whom they work. Others assert that these traits are stereotypes of women. Some female managers report that they feel rewarded when acting with care and support for their employees. Still others state that they feel stereotyped or “put down” when they do this. Why do women have so many different beliefs about femininity at work? Part of the answer lies in the experiences of women and the expectations placed upon them in traditionally maledominated workplaces. Another part-and perhaps more difficult to address-is the internal struggle of each woman to define herself, and especially her femininity, in a world and workpiace dominated by images of successful men and masculinity. Previous research documents how organizations desexualize, devalue, and confuse women at work. In this article, we show how such organizational abuse initiates in some women a process in which the feminine aspect is wounded to the point of dysfunction. We then present a sixstep model for beginning the process of healing this “wounded feminine.” What we do not address here is the wounded feminine of men. Though we suspect that the desexualization, devaluation, and confusion of femininity at work have detrimental effects on the feminine aspect of male identity, this is beyond our scope. This article grows out of our own confusion and discord as women, as we struggle to bring our feminine aspect to our business and professional roles, and understand and deal with the wounded feminine within. It is also influenced by our informal conversations with women in business and professions about their struggle to fit, cope, and heal. In addition, we draw from the literature on women in management to support our observations and experience. This is a first look at what we believe is an important phenomenon that deserves serious organizational and academic attention in the future. Thus, this article is a call to attend to the wounded feminine in women at work. Women who have been wounded must understand that fact; only then cun they begin the healing process. |
