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“A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” — Yoko Ono
“In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she’s a feminist or a masochist.” –Gloria Steinem
Sep
19
Does the “Reverse Glass Ceiling” Exist?
Filed Under discrimination, misogyny, patriarchy, race and racism, sexism, stereotypes, work | Posted by Cara |
This headache inducing article from msn.com was brought to my attention by reader Gabs. The title question Does the “Glass Ceiling” Exist? seems to have the resoundingly obvious answer of “No.” So, is that it? Can we go home, now? Unfortunately not.
Licensed psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser–who has offered her professional opinion for both MSNBC and CNN–says she sees more men popping up in female-dominated careers. “I don’t know if it’s a trend yet, because it’s a more recent development, but it’s definitely something that’s happening and people are becoming more and more aware of it,” she says.
It may seem like a strange concept to grasp, considering that men are rarely cast as being victims of discrimination. An examination of why women tend to gravitate toward certain fields more so than men is a good starting point for exploring whether a glass ceiling exists for men.
Oh yeah, I’d say that it seems like a hard concept to grasp, all right. And what’s that, there’s absolutely no proof that this “reverse glass ceiling exists,” and yet we’re going to give credibility to the idea by discussing it at length, anyway? Sounds like good “journalism” to me!
The anecdotes start with a man who went into the nursing field and shockingly enough did not face discrimination, and in fact was promoted extremely quickly. Really? Why, how could this be?
I don’t know, maybe the same way that whenever something is considered a “women’s field,” more credence is given to the profession as soon as a male takes on the role. Take cooking and hairstyling, for example. Traditionally feminine fields, right? Then why are most high end stylists and chefs men? Anyone? Anyone at all?
But hey, we’re not talking about those fields! Mainly, we’re talking about the completely arbitrary fields of nursing and travel. Personally, I didn’t even know that travel agent is considered to be a feminine career. But hey, let’s go with it.
After the one rational anecdotal story, the bitchfest begins and the article, expectedly, turns into one big screech of BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MENZ?! [For the sake of brevity, I'm going to ignore the infuriating male/female stereotypes in the article and really just go for the meat of the argument.]
From the start, John Clifford knew he wanted to work with people rather than machines.
. . . He took a travel agent course in Albuquerque and graduated at the top of a class filled mostly with women. He worked at various agencies before striking out on his own, catering to upscale clients like Giorgio Armani Corporation and Fortune 500 executives. Clifford even landed on Traveler+Leisure’s “A-list of Agents,” becoming the youngest man to get on the magazine’s “A-list All Stars” in 2004–a list that, to this day, comprises mostly women.
“The agency I affiliated with is 90 percent women,” Clifford says, “and sometimes I feel it’s hard to get the recognition and respect I feel I deserve and have earned, just as women in the corporate world may feel it is hard to break into the old boy’s club. I face that every day in the travel trade. Whether or not we like to say a ‘women’s club’ exists, it does. It’s just as hard for a man to break through that.”
*sniff* Gee, doesn’t that sound hard? I can’t imagine what it must be like to not have everything given to you on a silver platter . . .
You know what, guys? Boo fucking hoo. Even if it is more difficult for men to advance in women-dominated fields (and I am wholly unconvinced that it is), the “reverse glass ceiling” exists just about as much as “reverse racism” does.
I don’t think that this is a perfect comparison, but it is a useful one nonetheless, particularly because the term “reverse racism” is one that we are all (unfortunately) familiar with. Let me say it now, just in case anyone is still confused: reverse racism does not exist. Sure, sometimes people of color do say shitty things about white people. Do I think that it’s right to be called “whitey” or “cracker?” No, of course I don’t. And I imagine that it has to suck to be called those things. I also don’t think that using those terms is exactly going to advance racial harmony. But you know what? It’s still not racism.
Racism is about institutionalized and embedded discrimination. It is about power. Being called “whitey” is probably sad for you. But it’s not oppressive. And no, it’s not the same as using “the n-word,” because “whitey” has not been used to humiliate and subjugate Caucasian people for centuries. You may feel sad being called whitey, but at the end of the day, your white ass (and my white ass) is still on top. Calling people of color derogatory terms, on the other hand, is an active attempt to remind them of their second-class citizenship, and is in fact a method of upholding oppression.
Similarly, the glass ceiling is about institutionalized oppression of women. It’s not about a few meanie bosses– it’s about a system of subjugation and perpetuation of patriarchy. The “reverse glass ceiling” does not exist because it cannot make similar claims. I’m sure that yes, in the history of time, a man somewhere has been denied promotion in a female-dominated field because of his sex. Do I think that this should happen? Of course not. But is it a system? Am I going to shed any tears over it? Is that man “oppressed?” Fuck no. And in the same way that the term “reverse racism” offends me to my very core, the phrase “reverse glass ceiling” makes me want to smack the idiot who coined it. It misses the very concept of discrimination, and quite possibly does so on purpose. I mean, it’s quite convenient to be able to say “See!? Whites/men are discriminated against, too!!!” no matter how big of a lie it is.
And hey, if men can be discriminated against, too, the women should just stop complaining, right? If all of these poor oppressed men can get ahead, why can’t we? Probably because we’re lazy.
Having a man or two at work in a room full of women does change dynamics, “but that doesn’t mean it’s bad change,” Kaiser adds.
In fact, it’s this adversity that makes John Clifford such a good travel agent. “As a man in the business, I learned to create my own PR and my own success,” Clifford says. “If you reach the glass ceiling, you retool and rethink, and you keep going. I feel it has, oddly enough, enabled me to reach higher and become stronger, because without adversity, you become complacent.”
That mindset certainly contributed to Clifford’s success. Says Farrell, “Men tend to be strong in the area of ‘doing.’ Unlike women, men won’t articulate what bothers them about the barriers; instead, their attitude is, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’”
God, ladies!!! If men can bust through their “glass ceiling,” why can’t you? Suck it up. If you can’t get ahead, it’s your fault. Maybe you should try harder. Discrimination is just what you make of it. Or something.
“You have to take your cues from the work environment,” Kaiser says. “Pay attention, listen, and do your best to adapt to the office culture.” This advice, she adds, applies to anyone in any job. “At the end of the day, if you don’t fit in, you’ll end up leaving regardless of any dominating gender,” she notes.
Still, “if you have an attraction to a certain profession, chances are you’re going to be good at it,” Farrell concludes. “If you’re in a minority, you have to prove yourself more, but oftentimes, people enjoy a little more diversity.”
Gee, Kaiser. Thanks for the tip. If these “minority” men have learned that their presence is appreciated and creates more “diversity,” I’m sure that the same will hold true for women (and people of color, gays, lesbians, transgender individuals, Muslims . . .). I mean, what’s the difference, right? It’s not like we were all taught from day one to revere men and their abilities while devaluing the existence of women, or anything. So yeah, I’m sure that it’s all the same.
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“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
Whew, fantastic response, Cara. The bit about the travel agent managing to ‘break through’ was one of the ones that caught my attention the most; they didn’t need to flat out say what they meant there. The implication was perfectly clear.
OMGZ i love your rant. i’ve seen more dumbfuck articles like this at msn than anywhere else.
Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Arr, Matey! Me forgot that tis was Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Though I find it hard to disagree with any single point you make (in fact I support just about all of it), I’m tempted to just dismiss everything you’ve said because your tone is so over the top. But maybe I’m alone in that.
Maybe, but probably not. I don’t expect everyone to love my writing style, which definitely can be (and in places here, is) extremely facetious.
In any case, though, like my writing style or not, I do think that the level of outrage is appropriate, so I’m not really sure what you think is “over the top.” You’ll have to explain that one to me, but until then I’m going to assume that you and I do not share the same form of bitter humor.
wow, what an amazing response. I think this reverse glass ceiling bull shit is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard in quite a long time. I wish all the ignorant people out there could read some of your articles like this and realize what a terribly patriarchial society we live in.
See, David, for people who are Cara’s level of frustration with this crap, her tone was perfect. Having worked in customer service for several years (generally considered women’s work unless there’s a tech aspect to it) and seen this exact thing go on, I found this post to be a hell of a lot articulate and reasoned than I could have managed. Dealing with crap from sexist assholes tends to get my dander up.
The two sided coin of men in “women’s professions” being amazing innovators or worthless pussies is alive and well, and entirely based on the idea that male=awesum!!11!! and female=suxxor. Screw that mindset and the horse it rode in on.
Damn it, the first sentence of the above should read “…for people who are at Cara’s…”
Sorry.
This is right on. I hate it when people assume that men trying to work in traditionally female roles face the same challenges that women who try to enter traditionally male fields do. It’s not the same thing AT ALL. While women are still often viewed as less than capable nuissances in such a situation, men are often thought of as highly desirable novelties. While they may face some misogynistic/homophobic criticism from closed-minded people outside their profession, those inside their profession (who are responsible for supporting and promoting them)are likely to inflate their egos with high praise for being the wonderful-type men who are willing to do such work. They are showered with cookies. I refuse to entertain the notion that a glass ceiling exists for such men.
I am a nurse and when I was in nursing school I had several men in my class. I will always remember my instructor stating that it was great that men were in the field because it would make all of us more money and would garner more respect for the career of nursing. Since I’ve been in nursing I have seen male nurses get treated with more respect by doctors and they are the ones to whom doctors discuss plans of care, even when a more senior female nurse is present. I have had one male nurse actually say to me that he was too important to worry about little things(like dressing changes, changing IV tubing, bathing the patient, etc) and that stuff was for me to worry about. I was more educated, and more senior than this nurse, and way more knowledgable. So fuck you to every guy who complains about the reverse glass ceiling. Men didn’t start coming into nursing until there was more money to be made. Women did this career for little money and no thanks for decades!!!
ps…some male nurses are wonderful and kind. They do not think they are better because of their penises. But to the men who are complaining about a glass ceiling..they are obviously complaining because women are dominating a certain industry. And by now we should all know, if you have a penis no bitch woman should be in charge of you!!!
Sorry if I was “over the top” but I can really relate.
Hmm…maybe I’m just a naive teenager, but what the hell does a glass ceiling have to do with this?
Great rant by the way.
Being “over the top” is not just appropiate. It’s NECESSARY.
I love the way Cara expressed herself. I would like MY style of writing sound like that when I’m outraged. Instead I just go “…, well, emmmm,…. FUCK YOU ALL!!!. THERE!”
May I also add that had Cara been a MALE, no one would dare comment on the level of “rage” expressed here? Because if a man is angry, it must be because of something important, whereas if a woman is, it must be because she’s whinging about some laundry that needs doing, or something.
DO NOT CHANGE EITHER YOUR OUTRAGE OR YOUR STYLE. THERE.
Haha, thanks Mary Tracy. I wasn’t intending to :)