Graphic by Nate Barton
Not to say that women have reached complete equality with men, but society has made considerable progress toward gender equality over the past century.
The wage discrepancy for our generation is less than 5 percent, according to GenderStats.org There are more women than men enrolled in post-secondary school, and there is [finally] a female nominee by a major party for the presidential election. The steps in the right direction are undeniable.
The problem I see is that in our pursuit for a more progressive society, we sometimes confuse the words equality and sameness. Women have adopted masculine tendencies to be treated with the same level of respect as their male counterparts.
“One in four women dress in a more masculine way … acting under the belief they should look like their male colleagues to be treated seriously. A further quarter wear less make-up at work … A small number, one in 20, actively mirror the behaviour of male colleagues,” as noted in Telegraph article “Women feel the need to ‘act like men'” published in 2013 by Louisa Peacock. This stylistic choice in dress is further corroborated with the 1990 study by Auburn University professor Sandra M. Forsythe who found that when studying applicants for jobs, “the more masculine the clothing [that the applicant wore to the interview], the more likely the applicant would be recommended to be hired.”
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously went to voice coaching to deepen her pitch as to not sound like a “shrill” female.
This trend for females to suppress their femininity really isn’t that surprising. The term ’emulation’ is described by economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in his 1889 book “The Theory of the Leisure Class” as members of a particular group imitating the behaviors of those in the group who possess the power. It then would make sense that women would adopt masculine demeanors as there are primarily men in positions of power, particularly in the work force.
Nevertheless the time for this suppression of femininity is over. To say that women can achieve equality contingent on the fact that they act more masculine is not to reach for equality at all, but instead, gender sameness.
Women, as all people, should be encouraged to act themselves in all environments. True gender equality cannot be achieved unless this is the case.
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Follow Abigail Van Horn on Twitter: @profvanhorn
