Working twice as hard and getting half as far

Ladies, tell me you haven’t all been here. Whoever said there is equality among the sexes was most definitely a liar. Throughout my life, I have had many different jobs. Customer service, administration, sale, marketing, hell even labor. You name it, I’ve done it. Many times I’ve held more than one job at a time. My record for positions held at one time was three jobs at once. (I’m sure I looked tired during that run.) Through all my different jobs and environments that came with them, there is one thing I’ve found to be true. A woman must work twice as hard as a man to be seen as half as good. Of course, this is more true in certain industries than others. From my experiences, it seems the most notorious industry for double standards is sales and marketing. Let me explain. (I bet you’re excited for this rant!)

First, I would like to point out a few double standards that we all see but rarely realize. Let’s take a look at the music industry. In this comparison, I will put a male’s musical performance up against a female’s. Shoot, I will even take it a step further and use a musically gifted couple who happen to perform to the same audience! Beyonce, and Jay Z everybody. These two are both widely popular and have similar audiences. In the photo I have inserted, you can see that they were both at the same show. Just from their apperances alone, you can tell one has put forth a little more effort in getting ready for the show. Am I right? Of course I am. Jay Z, he just throws on a chain and some shades with an outfit he probably walked around in all day anyway. Ms B, this amazing lady is wearing an outfit that is only intended for a stage performance, (which she probably had multiple wardrobe changes that show) and her hair and make up absolutley perfect as always. In the image I inserted it almost looks like you can tell she is dancing while Mr Z just kind of stands there and raps into the microphone. How is it, (and I must admit I’ve read an article in which Beyonce agrees that she has to out-show Jay Z) that a woman with her talents (equal or surpassing her husband’s)  has to outperform a man to get the same amount of stardom? It doesn’t seem right to me. Again, confirming the double standard between men and women and denying the statement that there is equality among the sexes.

Okay, okay, Beyonce and Jay Z are like our modern day royalty. Let’s scale back to real life shall we? Let’s go to the sales industry. This is the type of industry I happen to work in. A female can sell just as much as a man, but more times than not I hear, ‘well of course she can get more today, look what she’s wearing’ etc, etc. Ya. That never gets old. Could it be that she is just as good as the man? Possibly  better? I’ve taken the liberty of inserting brain scans of a male and female whilst at rest. Both of these subjects happened to be sales people. Is it a coincidence that the female’s brain was more active than the males? Perhaps. Or is it more likely that both are just as capable? Why are women constantly subjected the the double standard?

Here is my final comparison I will use images from two very popular movies to make my point on how men and women are perceived when they are portrayed as strong individuals.

Man:

This guy is perceived as a bad ass. A guy who has his shit together. He literally holds up a pair of brass balls after telling everyone in the room they are fired. He screams at them and tells men to go home and cry to their wives about it. But he is ‘the best’. Right?

Woman:

This is a woman who quietly accepts nothing but excellence. She is direct and takes nothing less than what was requested. A sharp look from her beautiful eyes and people shake in their boots. She works hard as hell and has climbed up the metaphorical ladder despite her gender. Nonetheless, her coworkers are afraid of her and hate her.

Wait… the guy who told everyone they are fired and screamed to them they should go home and cry to their wives is awesome and strong, but the woman who doesn’t take any bullshit is a bitch? How did that happen? Happens every single day and it sucks. I know this post won’t change the world. It probably own’t change anyone’s minds either. But if you happen to work with a strong female leader in your world, how about you see if you see her differently by pretending she was a man. That won’t change much but her world.