Latest news with #womeninwork
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Crying in the Commons: why are women's workplace tears a source of shame?
Rachel Reeves's tears this week triggered a fall in the pound and attracted widespread derision from political columnists, mostly male. 'What is wrong with Rachel Reeves?' the Telegraph asked. In an article headlined 'The meaning of the chancellor's tears', a New Statesman columnist told readers that Reeves's authority was 'beginning to melt away'. The Daily Mail spoke disdainfully of her 'waterworks'. But in the longer term the chancellor's display of distress may prove to have an unexpectedly positive legacy, helpfully normalising a still hugely stigmatised phenomenon – women's tears in the workplace. Until now, tearful outbursts at work have mostly been mired in shame, the source of acute embarrassment. This week's live broadcast of the chancellor's silent tears could help shift the taboo, highlighting a little-discussed truth: sometimes women cry at work, and it's no big deal. Reeves reflected on her own tears with a shrug a day later. 'People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday. Today's a new day and I'm just cracking on with the job,' she said on Thursday. She declined to explain what had prompted her distress, describing it simply as a personal issue and refusing to go into details. Within 24 hours the markets had bounced back with the assurances of the prime minister, Keir Starmer, that she would remain in her job for the long term. Clearly it is far from ideal to be filmed in tears during the week's most-watched exchanges in the House of Commons, but ministerial jobs are immensely tough. Some of Reeves's male predecessors have exhibited the strain of their roles in more extreme ways – while attracting less attention, because their behaviour is classed as routine and acceptable machismo. When Britain's former prime minister Gordon Brown was exhausted and under pressure he was known to be prone to volcanic eruptions. One biographer described how Brown would stab the seat of the ministerial Jaguar with his pen in fury. Bloomberg reported that a new aide was warned to watch out for 'flying Nokias' when he joined Brown's team (although a spokesperson for Brown said at the time that this was 'not an account that I recognise'). Reeves's tears were widely seen as a sign that she was losing control. Brown's fury was forgiven by many as just a regrettable quirk displayed by a leader under pressure. Research consistently confirms what we instinctively know – that women cry more frequently than men. So it stands to reason that as we see more women in senior leadership roles, the sight of a powerful woman in tears should become less remarkable. It would be odd to celebrate it, since it's an exhausting and often mortifying phenomenon, but Reeves's outburst may help it to be better understood as simply a different way of expressing professional frustration or responding to pressure. Polling conducted by YouGov in the UK revealed that 34% of men claim not to have cried at all in the previous year, compared with only 7% of women; 18% of women said they cried at least once a week, compared with only 4% of men. Behaviour varies between cultures, but this remains a broadly global phenomenon: a 2011 study of 5,715 participants from 37 countries found women were more prone to crying and were more likely to have cried recently. This week, Germany's former leader Angela Merkel revealed that she 'burst out crying from the pressure' during a meeting with the then US president, Barack Obama, on how to handle Greece's mounting debt crisis in 2015. Theresa May was on the brink of tears when she stepped down as the UK prime minister in May 2019, her voice cracking and lips wobbling as she stood outside Downing Street, telling assembled journalists that it had been the honour of her life 'to serve the country I love'. Margaret Thatcher was in tears when she was driven from Downing Street in 1990s. By contrast, David Cameron hummed his way back inside No 10 after his resignation speech in 2016. Obama wept occasionally when president but these were mostly dignified occasions, prompted by the memory of tragic events, such as the shooting of schoolchildren during a speech about gun control. His tears were not the unattractive and uncontrollable, messy and humiliating variety, but were mostly seen as commendable expressions of his humanity. Vladimir Putin appeared emotional a decade ago during a soft-rock song honouring the bravery of the Russian police force, but these too were a different kind of tears. Political behaviour in Britain has been slow to change, despite the rapidly evolving makeup of the Commons. In 2024, the UK saw the election of the highest number of female MPs ever recorded. There are now 264 women in the Commons, holding 40% of the 650 seats. Since the 1997 election of the Labour party saw the proportion of women double from 9% to 18%, there has been a steady rise – but the institution's combative culture has barely changed. 'We've had years of men shouting, scoffing, braying, even sleeping in this chamber, so we shouldn't overreact to a woman showing her frustration with one tear,' said Penny East, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, a feminist campaigning charity. 'It shouldn't be interpreted as a sign that she's not up to her job. These criticisms feel riddled with sexism and stereotype.' Ask any female colleague, and they will probably reluctantly admit to having wrestled with the challenge of holding back tears at work, often prompted by professional frustration rather than sadness. I've done it, during a difficult conversation with an editor, raising my eyes to the ceiling and tilting my head back, hoping that gravity would somehow suck the tears back inside the ducts and that no one would notice. Women know it can be damaging professionally because crying remains categorised as a sign of incompetence and weakness, an unacceptable manifestation of stress. One accomplished acquaintance in a senior role was unfairly nicknamed Tiny Tears in private by her staff because occasionally she responded to challenging situations with involuntary tears. Her colleagues were less familiar with this manifestation of professional dissatisfaction than they might have been with a display of male anger. Another woman described crying on her third day at her new job as a chief executive of a large organisation. 'It wasn't live on the media, but it was in an open-plan office and I was surrounded by senior and junior staff. I'm not remotely comparing my job to the job of the chancellor, but there was a huge burden of responsibility and I was having to take difficult decisions,' she said. She was embarrassed by her own tears because she could see how uncomfortable it made her team. 'But I didn't see it as a loss of control. We shouldn't assume that displays of emotions represent a loss of control over ability to do your job.' She thinks, however, the episode may unexpectedly have helped her win colleagues' respect. 'They could see I really cared about what we were there to do.' Although there is no difference in the amount male and female babies cry, women cry more frequently than men because of a complex mix of social conditioning and biology. Ad Vingerhoets, a professor of clinical psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, has studied the science of tears, and notes that testosterone acts as a 'brake' on the crying response. Sophie Scott, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, who specialises in analysing how emotions are expressed through laughter and tears, said: 'How we experience and express our emotions is influenced by our biology and by how we've grown up.' Scott made a distinction between tears produced as a result of sadness and tears triggered by anger, noting that these tears of frustration and fury seemed to be more frequently something experienced by women. 'If you're angry and you feel you can't do something about it, there's a helpless, frustrated feeling that pushes you to tears,' she said. Women seemed to find themselves more frequently fighting tears of frustration than men, Scott said, adding that this might be because 'angry and more aggressive responses are more acceptable in men'. Unusually, Reeves's misery was caught playing out over the 30-minute duration of the prime minister's question time session, allowing viewers a rare and uncomfortable view of someone attempting and failing to stem the flow, lips twitching and turning downwards. 'A big difference between my job and many of your viewers' is that when I'm having a tough day it's on the telly, and most people don't have to deal with that,' Reeves told the BBC. Scott said many forms of tears were hard to control, adding: 'Crying is a very truthful signal. Once it gets hold of you, it's very hard to stop it. It's involuntary.' Rosie Campbell, a professor of politics at King's College London, said she was staggered by the negativity triggered by Reeves's tears. 'In our society, women are more likely to cry. That doesn't make them worse leaders,' she said. 'I don't want to see politicians crying in the chamber every day, but if it happens a couple of times in a parliamentary career, that should be no big deal. 'I'm more worried about emotionally repressed leaders than about someone who realises that the financial security of the nation is in their hands and they feel the weight of that.'
South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Young Japanese women twice as likely to take extended sick leave as men: study
Japanese women in their twenties were twice as likely to take extended sick leave as their male counterparts, a recent survey has found, prompting calls to health officials to pay more attention to sex and age in preventing long-term sick leave. Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders, and pregnancy-related complications like severe morning sickness were the main reasons women called in sick for periods longer than 30 days, The Japan Times reported on Monday, citing a survey conducted by the Japan Institute for Health Security. Yukari Taniyama and other researchers from the institute looked into sick leave cases from 2012 to 2021 involving around 100,000 employees at companies headquartered in east-central Japan. They categorised the incidence of illness or injury that caused extended sick leave by sex, age and cause. Over the study period, 6,518 male employees took long-term sick leave, compared to 1,866 female employees. However, when calculated per 10,000 workers, women showed a higher incidence rate of 115.5 cases, against 89.2 for men. By age group, women in their twenties took the most extended sick leave, at 176.6 cases per 10,000 workers, more than double the 83.8 seen among men of the same age. 02:40 Japanese salarymen find joy in cheerleading Japanese salarymen find joy in cheerleading Mental illness was the primary cause of long-term sick leave for both men and women, but that declined with age.
Forbes
08-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
How To Close the Gender Gap in Workplace Competition
Team of happy female soccer players celebrating their achievement on a playing field at sunset. A new Wharton study shows that women are less likely to enter competitions than their male colleagues at work. In my interview with Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School, and Sophia Pink, a PhD student at the Wharton School, they shared their new research on this gender competition gap. Their research found that there is a persistent gender gap in competitive environments which has significant consequences, not just for women, but the organizations that want to maximize the use of their talent. "We were wondering, what if we told women when they're deciding between what jobs to apply for, that women, on average, are less likely to apply for jobs than equally qualified men, would that help?' Milkman explained. This is known as "stereotype reactance." Stereotype reactance is the process of informing women about the existing gender gap in competition proactively. This can paradoxically increase their likelihood of applying for jobs. This is attributed to women's potential desire to resist conforming to negative stereotypes and a motivation to take action against the observed inequality. Pink notes, "What we found is that women who saw this reactance inducing message where they learned about this gender competition gap applied to about 20% more jobs on the day they saw the banner, so it led to this big and meaningful boost in job applications." Milkman and Pink recommends organizations use more 'just in time' interventions. This could be providing a prompt at moment of decision reminding women about the gender competition gap or equipping managers to encourage women on their teams to apply for positions to overcome this gap. These "just-in-time" interventions can create a more equitable playing field by mitigating the impact of confidence barriers and internalized norms. Milkman and Pink advocate for a shift in promotion practices, suggesting that organizations should make promotions the default rather than requiring individuals to opt-in. This seemingly simple change can act as a powerful form of encouragement, particularly for women who may be hesitant to self-promote or may underestimate their qualifications. By making promotion consideration a standard process, companies can proactively level the playing field and mitigate the impact of the gender competition gap. They found research from the University of Toronto supports this recommendation. Their findings indicate that when promotion processes are structured so that all eligible individuals are automatically considered, the gender gap in who receives promotions significantly diminishes. This suggests that the act of requiring individuals to nominate themselves or actively seek promotion may inadvertently disadvantage women, potentially due to societal factors influencing their confidence in self-promotion or their perception of their readiness. Implementing default promotions can foster a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture. It sends a clear message that the organization values all its talent and is actively working to ensure fair opportunities for advancement. This approach can also help to identify high-potential individuals who might otherwise be overlooked due to their reluctance to self-nominate. By removing the barrier of self-nomination, organizations can tap into a wider pool of talent and create a more diverse and representative leadership pipeline. Research highlights the crucial role of proactive positive feedback in fostering confidence and narrowing the gender competition gap. Managers, mentors, and other allies can actively support women by specifically identifying and acknowledging their strengths and accomplishments. This validation helps women recognize their capabilities and encourages them to put themselves forward for opportunities. Allies can play a vital role in explicitly pointing out the reality that if qualified women choose not to apply for a promotion or new challenge, others will undoubtedly step forward, emphasizing that their absence leaves a void that will be filled. This direct and encouraging approach can counteract any hesitancy stemming from a lack of confidence and empower women to embrace competitive opportunities. Milkman suggests, "Rather than trying to solve long-term, systemic gender socialization problems around gender and competition, these interventions can help remedy the gender competition gap now. The answer is that we have to raise awareness about these issues and develop science-based tools that help combat them." For organizations that want to close the gender competition gap, consider identifying points where the gap might exist, make promotions default and give feedback boosts on confidence.
Globe and Mail
14-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
I'm working in a ‘boys club' – how can I thrive?
Question: I have started working in a new industry and my new workplace is nearly all men. While no one has been directly unkind, it feels like a 'boys club' and not a place that is very welcoming for women. How can I thrive here? We asked Timea Jakab, studio director and senior associate at architecture and design firm Gensler, to tackle this one: I work with developers and on construction sites where I'm often the only female in the room, and the first thing I would say is: You're not imagining it. It feels very singular in the moment, but from university classrooms to the boardroom, this is a real thing. My advice is to anchor yourself in competence. Show up prepared. Know your job, deliver strong work and that will let your credibility speak for you. It will build your inner confidence to where some of the external factors won't matter as much because you will know that you are good at your job. Find your allies, male and female. Look for people who are open, who treat you with respect, who listen to you, who you really connect with. You just need one person. It could be your manager, it could be someone in another department, but it's someone [who can help you] increase your trust in your company. E-mail them, 'Can we have a coffee?' 10 out of 10 times they will say, 'Absolutely. How's tomorrow?' Then, just have a conversation. Tell them, 'I'm new to this company, I'm looking for some allies.' Be open about that. You're not looking for a promotion, you're looking for comfort, and those are very different conversations. Outside of your company, seek out community. When I became a director, I joined the Women's Leadership Initiative at the Urban Land Institute which has programs like the Book Club Without Books and softer networking events. I've made many friends through there. In connecting with other women in your industry, you'll find perspectives, support, strategies and the more open you are, the more you'll get out of it. Sometimes people ask me to give a piece of career advice, and I always say, 'I wish I had started networking earlier.' My last piece of advice, which is what I tell my kids every day, is, 'be yourself.' Part of that comes with being confident in your skillset, knowing you have at least one ally in the room and having a community. That really opens the door to being yourself and just letting yourself shine. Why is there a Chat feature? The bad habits of online meetings 'The postpandemic hybrid work environment has spawned some bad habits, especially around online meetings,' says Eileen Dooley a talent and leadership development specialist based in Calgary. 'While some could be forgiven a few years ago, some disrespectful ones are now being accepted as normal, which is not only eroding the effectiveness of online meetings but of basic meeting etiquette. For example, the pesky Chat feature. 'It's essentially an outlet for side conversations or impulse comments which, quite frankly, have no place in work meeting. It's the equivalent of talking on top of others, passing secret notes or making hand or facial gestures across a physical meeting table.' Canada's Best Executives 2025 Five years ago, Report on Business magazine introduced the Best Executive Awards to hail the executives who toil just outside the corner office and do the work that helps move a company forward. This year, leaders in finance, tech, operations, human resources, sustainability and more were honoured from across the country. Honorees include Rachel MacAdam, VP marketing at Skip (Winnipeg); Sarah Chapman, global chief sustainability officer at Manulife (Toronto); Monisha Sharma, chief revenue officer at Fig Financial (Montreal, Que.); Angie Ng, VP, people and organization at Novo Nordisk Canada (Mississauga, Ont.) and Meaghan Whitney, chief people officer at Blackline Safety (Calgary). The new line of defence: women in cybersecurity Cheryl Hayes has witnessed the impact of poor digital literacy on kids first-hand, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We had friends with a nine-year-old daughter who ended up getting groomed on a [social media] platform,' says Ms. Hayes, co-founder and chief business development officer at Cyber Legends, Inc. '[There were] also kids down the street who had passwords and game tokens they spent years accumulating stolen because they befriended someone online.' Ms. Hayes is one of the growing number of women working in cybersecurity in Canada. It's an industry where women are under-represented – global cybersecurity member association ISC2 estimates that women make up 25 per cent of cybersecurity jobs globally, but they expect that number to increase as more young people enter the profession. LinkedIn's Economic Graph found that women make up 21 per cent of cybersecurity jobs in Canada.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Union, government mediation over working from home restrictions fails
Women are disproportionately affected by the flexible work restrictions. Photo: RNZ The public sector union says mediation has failed to resolve its conflict with the government over working from home. The union headed into mediation with the government on Tuesday to try to stop restrictions to flexible work practices. At the end of last year guidelines were sent out to public sector chief executives to tighten up on flexible working arrangements . The government said working from home arrangements should only be by agreement, should not compromise performance, and departments and agencies must regularly report on the number and nature of agreements in place. In December the PSA filed action against the move with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons told Morning Report she wanted the government to step away from the idea, similar to Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton did during this year's Australian election , to say "we got this wrong, we are sorry". But Fitzsimons said after mediation failed the case was now heading to the ERA for resolution. She said the union was dismayed to have not settled the matter quickly for public sector workers. Fitzsimons said not being able to work from home disadvantaged women who make up 62 percent of the public service workforce. She said flexible working conditions helped women access career opportunities, while maintaining family commitments as well. "It's good for employers, people are more productive, they concentrate better, so it is common sense as well."
