Discussion 1
In my chosen article, the main focal point is how gender roles and sexual orientation play a role in the mentoring and training of women in federal law enforcement. Through a survey of 208 members of Women in Federal Law Enforcement, the author compiled data by sorting how a woman's presentation of masculinity or feminity as well as their sexual orientation influenced how they received mentoring as well as how effective that mentoring was. It is shown in this study that a myriad of factors represented account for many different experiences, most of which suggesting that an alignment with non-heterosexuality (and therein likely sexual unavailability to male counterparts) results in relatively better career mentoring and mentoring outcomes.
This research suggests, if a woman is more masculine in her presentation and behavior, the more she is led in her career in law enforcement. This is especially the case for masculine presenting and behaving women who are non-heterosexuals as they are likely encouraged to perform better for being "one of the guys". It is necessary that organizations advocate for a detachment from perceived gender norms and expectations as they can be ill concerived and potentially harmful.
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Iris Kelly-Wallace
Discussion 2
I think women face the following three obstacles when advancing their careers in the American workplace:
Emotional intelligence - I think it is a common misconception that women, due to myth surrounding their biological chemistry, have no capacity to be in higher paying roles. I think we are mistaken as not having the emotional stamina and the capacity to function in a logical manner rather than an emotional manner. This, to me, is the biggest misconception about women and the most common reason we are held back from career advancements.
Less deserving than their male counterparts - If an opposing candidate exists and they are a man, I think they're more inclined to advance in their career than women even in cases where they are less educated and have worked for the organization for less time. In my own experience, I think this ties into this perception that men are more experienced even with less experience, that they are naturally inclined to perform better across all industries.
Infantilization - Similarly to emotional intelligence, I think women are viewed as being more fragile and gentle in an overall sense. Leadership positions or other such career positions which can be described as "assertive" or requiring a more dominant figure could be contrived and misconstrued as not being a place for a woman as they aren't as "tough" as the career requires. I see a lot of women in supervision and human resources fields, not because of the belief that they can be held accountable for any "tough" jobs, but because of the empathy and almost caregiving involved in overseeing other people.
My positions on the issues are from my experience in many different career fields from criminal justice to the healthcare industry to working with nonprofits as a woman.
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COLLAPSE
According to the exercise, I have a more masculine style of speech. I have a tendency to speak in a very self-centric, headstrong manner. The biggest variances that I can observe in my communication are when I am speaking to my loved ones. I switch to a more delicate and nurturing tone as well as speak in a more peer-centric way. Say for instance, I am speaking with my grandson. Though he is a toddler, I speak with a higher pitch, ask questions involving him and how he feels, and compensate/compromise for him more.