Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I understand we are in an era where a female candidate will (most likely) run for president. We are in an era when the federal reserve is headed by a woman. We are in an era where women can be successful as business owners, wives, and mothers. When conducting business, job interviews, or having simple transactions performed there is a difference in treatment in some regions of the country that are vastly different.
When in the south there is an expectation for a woman to stay "in her place." Perhaps it is unnerving when a woman speaks confidently, direct (not disrespectful), and addresses men as equals when conducting business or any business transactions. I'm not sure if it is cultural in the south for men to objectify women by flirting and make a business meeting some event where women are expected to speak in gentle tone, dressed almost like their about to perform a business strip tease in 6 inch pumps then I might do business with you. However, if I provide a presentation explain myself clearly and stick to business, the response is a shut down as they feel like your not being mesmerized by their look or power. Has the south not caught up to the rest of the nation?
Does anyone else feel this way when conducting business in the south? What is with this "batting eyelashes" expectation? I get the southern gentleman traditions of the south however the expectation of flirting, using your sexuality, and speaking softly to the "big man" is asinine. I rarely see women from Chicago, Los Angeles, NY dress the way southern do when it comes to conducting business meetings and presentations. Perhaps the appearance and 6 inch pumps with short dresses/skirts feeds into the theory that women aren't to be taken seriously.
When conducting business for the simplest matters everything turns into flirting and it burns me up. You want your ego stroked, get that at home. If you want a date, find one, but when it comes to business do your job and leave. When it comes to business opportunities: Are men of the south capable of taking a woman seriously? This is not the 1800's where the only thing a woman can do is hope to get a man and have babies.
Someone please shed light on this situation for me that doesn't require me conducting myself in a manner that disrespects the accomplishments of educated/progressive women?
SC is one of the most right leaning states in the US. They elected Nikki Haley, a female, governor (republican of course). Her parents were immigrants from India. She became a Christian when a teenager.
I crossed over and voted for her in the Republican primary as I figured these good old boys down here would not vote for a women especially with that heritage and we Democrats might stand a chance at the Governorship. I was wrong. She won about 52 to 48 the first time and recently beat the same Democrat about 58 to 42 to get reelected Governor.
I have lived and done business all over the US. Southern women are more lady/feminine like and politer then women in many other parts of the country are. Do not let that throw you. Under that Well Bless Your Little Heart demeanor they can be hard as a rock. Talk down to them or treat them like a child and it will be Well Bless His Little Heart but we chose not to do business with him. Be polite and gracious. Do not be pushy nor sexist.
As I understand it, there is a measurable relationship between educational level and political leanings: some sort of metric where, the higher the fear level (which education to some extent remedies), the further right leaning. If this is accurate, then we would expect that the most impoverished states are the most conservative. I don't have any hard data, but my impression is that this is the case.
So the likelihood of females being treated in a non-discriminatory manner is greater, the higher the educational level. The question really is, what is the percentage of males who treat women fairly, anywhere, and particularly in business. My sort of embittered response is never and nowhere, unless they have to. This is based on personal experience with the intensely competitive nature of business and academics.
I believe anyone doing business with anyone who speaks down to them will be unsuccessful in retaining any business relationship whether it is a man or a woman.
I am a business owner in a traditionally male dominated profession and I will not do business with anyone who treats me like I am less than a business owner exploring a business relationship with you.
I can guarantee you that you need my professional service much more than I need your money and if you are uncomfortable doing business with a woman that is purely your issue and not mine.
I am female and I am feminine and can be both at the same time when in a business meeting and I do not have to show my boobs, flirt, bat my eyelashes or wear 6 inch stilettos, a mini skirt and fishnets to get a contract signed.
As I understand it, there is a measurable relationship between educational level and political leanings: some sort of metric where, the higher the fear level (which education to some extent remedies), the further right leaning.
Please keep your political biases in the politics forum. Insulting half the board (or more, in the case of the business forum) isn't going to do anyone any good.
I understand we are in an era where a female candidate will (most likely) run for president. We are in an era when the federal reserve is headed by a woman. We are in an era where women can be successful as business owners, wives, and mothers. When conducting business, job interviews, or having simple transactions performed there is a difference in treatment in some regions of the country that are vastly different.
When in the south there is an expectation for a woman to stay "in her place." Perhaps it is unnerving when a woman speaks confidently, direct (not disrespectful), and addresses men as equals when conducting business or any business transactions. I'm not sure if it is cultural in the south for men to objectify women by flirting and make a business meeting some event where women are expected to speak in gentle tone, dressed almost like their about to perform a business strip tease in 6 inch pumps then I might do business with you. However, if I provide a presentation explain myself clearly and stick to business, the response is a shut down as they feel like your not being mesmerized by their look or power. Has the south not caught up to the rest of the nation?
Does anyone else feel this way when conducting business in the south? What is with this "batting eyelashes" expectation? I get the southern gentleman traditions of the south however the expectation of flirting, using your sexuality, and speaking softly to the "big man" is asinine. I rarely see women from Chicago, Los Angeles, NY dress the way southern do when it comes to conducting business meetings and presentations. Perhaps the appearance and 6 inch pumps with short dresses/skirts feeds into the theory that women aren't to be taken seriously.
When conducting business for the simplest matters everything turns into flirting and it burns me up. You want your ego stroked, get that at home. If you want a date, find one, but when it comes to business do your job and leave. When it comes to business opportunities: Are men of the south capable of taking a woman seriously? This is not the 1800's where the only thing a woman can do is hope to get a man and have babies.
Someone please shed light on this situation for me that doesn't require me conducting myself in a manner that disrespects the accomplishments of educated/progressive women?
I have no idea what you're talking about because that was not my experience in Tennessee at all. I worked both as a consultant and for city government over my years there and was never treated disrespecfully by men, was never objectified and never had to wear six inch heels in a meeting (God forbid - I'd break my freakin ankle if I tried that foolishness). As a consultant I provided expertise in primarily male dominated organizations (law enforcement). As an employee for city government I worked with both men and women, and although I certainly met some royal idiots professionally, I never came across anything like what you mentioned in your post. Not even close.
I understand we are in an era where a female candidate will (most likely) run for president. We are in an era when the federal reserve is headed by a woman. We are in an era where women can be successful as business owners, wives, and mothers. When conducting business, job interviews, or having simple transactions performed there is a difference in treatment in some regions of the country that are vastly different.
When in the south there is an expectation for a woman to stay "in her place." Perhaps it is unnerving when a woman speaks confidently, direct (not disrespectful), and addresses men as equals when conducting business or any business transactions. I'm not sure if it is cultural in the south for men to objectify women by flirting and make a business meeting some event where women are expected to speak in gentle tone, dressed almost like their about to perform a business strip tease in 6 inch pumps then I might do business with you. However, if I provide a presentation explain myself clearly and stick to business, the response is a shut down as they feel like your not being mesmerized by their look or power. Has the south not caught up to the rest of the nation?
Does anyone else feel this way when conducting business in the south? What is with this "batting eyelashes" expectation? I get the southern gentleman traditions of the south however the expectation of flirting, using your sexuality, and speaking softly to the "big man" is asinine. I rarely see women from Chicago, Los Angeles, NY dress the way southern do when it comes to conducting business meetings and presentations. Perhaps the appearance and 6 inch pumps with short dresses/skirts feeds into the theory that women aren't to be taken seriously.
When conducting business for the simplest matters everything turns into flirting and it burns me up. You want your ego stroked, get that at home. If you want a date, find one, but when it comes to business do your job and leave. When it comes to business opportunities: Are men of the south capable of taking a woman seriously? This is not the 1800's where the only thing a woman can do is hope to get a man and have babies.
Someone please shed light on this situation for me that doesn't require me conducting myself in a manner that disrespects the accomplishments of educated/progressive women?
Let me guess. You had a presentation down here and you bombed. And so now you want to blame Southerners for your failure.
I'm a Southerner and this entire post is ridiculous, bearing zero resemblance to reality. Now, businesswomen in the South dress better than businesswomen in the South. But Southern women who are middle class and up tend to dress better than their Northern counterparts anyway. It's just the culture. And I say that as someone who has done business all over the country.
I mean, I deal with women every cotton-picking day (See what I did there?) who work in positions of power and authority who don't have to be anything they're not in order to succeed. I mean, just today, I had lunch with a long-time client who is COO of a multi-billion dollar bank. She's 45, impeccably dressed, charming, and sharper than a boxful of X-Acto blades. No one, and I mean no one, would ever discount her opinion on anything. My wife is the VP of Finance of one of the region's largest commercial real estate firms. She doesn't kowtow to anyone. Never had to. And one of my wife's best friends is #2 at an enormous insurance company.
However, I think I've identified the problem. The section I highlighted in bold is true of ANY business presentation in the South, whether conducted by a man or a woman. Southerners tend to have pretty high people skills. So they take a great deal of stock in doing business with people on a person-to-person basis, which means they like to indulge in the small talk prior to the meeting. Part of it is courtesy, a way to establish a relationship with you. Part of it is a pretty shrewd way to measure the cut of your jib, so to speak. In that sense, the little bit of chitchat before the meeting has the same intricacies of a tea ceremony. A shame that your antennae aren't very good.
So when you just "get down to business" what you've really done is let out a gigantic fart in the room without even realizing it. I mean, when you go to Japan, do you blow off all their business courtesies? If you went to Germany, would you pooh-pooh the little subtleties of their business culture? Then why would you do the same when presenting in the South?
You strike me as young. So I would offer up that you really need to become a keen observer before tarring an entire region with the same brush, or doing business anywhere at all for that matter. But in regards to the South, your post insults us and demeans you at the same time. What's more, if that's your attitude when walking into any room, well, good luck succeeding. I don't care if you're from Atlanta or Oregon or Boston. Getting further up the corporate food chain requires a little polish and social awareness, something you seem to lack at this point in your career.
As I understand it, there is a measurable relationship between educational level and political leanings: some sort of metric where, the higher the fear level (which education to some extent remedies), the further right leaning. If this is accurate, then we would expect that the most impoverished states are the most conservative. I don't have any hard data, but my impression is that this is the case.
So the likelihood of females being treated in a non-discriminatory manner is greater, the higher the educational level. The question really is, what is the percentage of males who treat women fairly, anywhere, and particularly in business. My sort of embittered response is never and nowhere, unless they have to. This is based on personal experience with the intensely competitive nature of business and academics.
I didn't think it possible to have a more clueless post than the original one, but you've succeeded.
In truth, people who reach a certain level in their careers and then plateau do so because their social skills are not very good. Discrimination has little to do with it.
I have worked with females at several jobs in TN and never had any feeling that they weren't respected as much as male employees. I think your personality defines you in the workplace more than your sex. I also get tired of people acting like the South is a third world country. I've seen other posts like, "I'm a black guy. Will I be welcome in ______ city". Uhhh yeah.
I have worked with females at several jobs in TN and never had any feeling that they weren't respected as much as male employees. I think your personality defines you in the workplace more than your sex. I also get tired of people acting like the South is a third world country. I've seen other posts like, "I'm a black guy. Will I be welcome in ______ city". Uhhh yeah.
This. If you have the people skills of a turnip, you won't succeed anywhere.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
