Extended Learning

Sam Zimmerman
11/1/16
Mr. Ubriaco
Block 4B

Too Sweet, Or Too Shrill? The Double Bind For Women.

This podcast I listened to was about women leaders and how they are viewed in society.
It says in the video that women are trapped in a paradox embedded in our culture giving
very little room for escape. This is referring to the stereotype formed way back to even
the ancient times in mesopotamia that women should stay at home, not have any
personal views and especially not allowed a position as leader. The podcast shown
examples of these views still going on today. For example, studies have shown that if a
man and a women applied for a traditionally male job, then the women will be
considered incompetent and the man would be chosen for the job. This helps prove the
podcasts point because it shows that even businesses show a slight bias in the belief
that women cant do a job just because it is a typical males job. Another example of
this is the first hand experience of Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American
women senator. She had the feeling that her colleagues were tuning her out of
existence while she was trying to present her views on the situation at hand. All they
were hearing was a shrill, black women as they say in the podcast. Furthermore,
another stereotype of women is explained with a second year marketing student named
Debra Meta. She said that her friend commented on the news that she was awarded a
scholarship to business school by saying that she was too sweet to be in the business
field. This shows the stereotype that women are expected to be sweet and happy all of
the time and that is not fitting for the business world. Overall, this article demonstrates
bias based on gender specifically towards women that they are not allowed certain jobs
based on stereotypes embedded in our society.