About Marjorie

As the niece of three Suffragettes who were actively involved in the struggle to open up the privilege of voting to women in the United States, I have always been aware of the gender bias and misogyny that continues to permeate our culture.

The fight for equality may have begun long ago, but for many women, the battle continues in boardrooms, meeting rooms, and office spaces every day.

Examples of how women’s contributions are discounted and dismissed are abundant:

• Women share ideas that are dismissed as having no value, until a man shares the same, or a very similar, idea, and it’s greeted as the best thing since Swiss cheese.
• Women are often passed over for raises and promotions by less qualified men.
• Income parity remains a joke, with women routinely paid less for doing the same work as men, often just because of the title given to that work.

It goes further. The language used to describe similar behaviors when performed by men versus women tells an even more glaring story:

• A man shows qualities of leadership. A woman is a showoff.
• A man is assertive. A woman is aggressive.
• A man is determined. A woman is stubborn.
• A man is concerned. A woman is hormonal.

I recall a specific moment in my career that perfectly demonstrated this bias. I was sitting in a meeting that was designed to be a breakout discussion, and I had thoughts I wanted to share. So, I raised my hand. And then I raised my hand again. And again. And again.

The male chair of the meeting proceeded to call on every man who had raised his hand—even those who had done so after I did. He intentionally refused to call on one of the few women in that room who had something to say.

As a recovering shy introvert, I don’t remember exactly how long it took me to find my voice in that moment, or what words I used to call him out, but I vividly remember the disrespect with which he felt free to treat me and how helpless, then angry it made me feel.