Language learned
Why can women actually only “overreact”?
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Have you ever heard of an ambitious expert who can assert himself and who is a woman? No? That’s probably because we associate this description with men. Because there is a different vocabulary for talking about women. For example, why can they only “overreact”?
What is a single mother who is successful at work? A real power woman who is great at balancing family and career? It has become part of our minds. But why is there no such thing as a “power man” who gets family and children well-arranged? Thinking in terms of gender roles is reflected in our language. And this has an incredible power – because it creates our image of the world. And if the way we speak does not change, gender equality will remain a distant goal.
“Power man”? That goes without saying!
As naming something is crucial. Because the words we find for observed situations always contain a part of interpretation. This view does not necessarily have to be our own. The integrated interpretation in the language may feel “normal” to us, which is why we don’t question it.
So when we call something “exaggerated” it is not an objective description, but an evaluation. However, there are also words for which it is not so clear whether they are a valuation or an objective designation. The adjective “emotionally“is one such word: it describes that a person shows emotions. You would use the word” emotional “when a woman starts to talk in a meeting cry. But it would also be used when a man started to work in a meeting scream?
No, probably not. Such an emotional outburst from a man would rather be called “dominant“,”determining“or as”assertive“. If a woman were to be loud in the same situation, she would probably be”impulsive“. There is often a negative interpretation when describing women. Two standards are used: A woman can actually just simply do it react on a situation? Or just overreact? It is up to us to become aware of this seemingly invisible sexism in our language and break the cycle.
But it is not only a matter of the “how”, but also of the “if“. So: Is something even discussed? The motto or pronunciation of a name alone is incredibly important. Because the term” power woman “includes, for example, that this is what it is not a normal woman acts. Since the term “power man” does not exist, it means that it is probably normal that all men “Power men” are – it doesn’t have to be emphasized by a word. In the case of a woman, this is something that you can see extraordinarily by this designation. It is anchored in our heads that not all women are “power women”. And that is everyday sexism.
Job advertisements are sexist
In the area of advertisements in particular, it has been observed that their choice of words is aimed at a certain gender. Surprise! It is mostly not the women. Because of names like “ambitious“,”High performance“, Bridge builders“,”Packer“,”Take off“or even”Expert“Women often don’t feel addressed. That is of course their bad luck, obviously. Nevertheless, it is a thorn in the side of every feminist.
If the job posting is aimed at a woman, however, words like “Reliable“,”flexible” and “friendlyMen don’t feel addressed by this. Even if the obligatory “(m / f / d)” is behind the description “Reliable and friendly secretary with flexible working hours”, we all know who is meant here. And that the other way around is exactly the same.
We are afraid of the unknown
Regardless of this, certain professional skills are described as desirable or undesirable. How often have women had to hear that they were “too soft“To fill a management position. Sensitivity or niceness is rated negatively in this context. But why? Is it because many (male) managers are louder, tougher and more decisive? Just because these skills have worked so far, that doesn’t mean that that others don’t.
From a biological point of view, women and men are different. Together with the upbringing, this affects our social behavior. But it makes little sense that there is a fixed set of values that characterize a good workforce. Even if many find it difficult to turn away from the familiar and the tried and tested, we should learn to rethink.
And yes, just gendering job advertisements would make a difference. But only together with a diverse gender-free language can you create the same conditions.