"I was a recent college graduate interviewing for a position I found through a newspaper ad. This was 2001 and Baltimore, like me, had many opportunities and many troubles. I had just finished a year of AmeriCorps and two other jobs to make one livable income-and decided to try corporate America. I was dressed up, ironed, and wide-eyed in a small corner office of an electronic component company."
"My nerves were screaming, and I just wanted to say yes to anything and get the interview over with. The hiring manager was telling me about two open positions: an office manager and an inside salesperson. Either would have been fine, however, once he described the office manager position as a "mother hen," something burst out of me like a lion attacking its prey."
"One sad part of this is that I have come to realize that the tendency to not speak up is a tool that patriarchy relies on to perpetuate itself. In the workplace, I have found that many people-mostly men-have this "lion" inside of them, and they let it speak more often than not, while women like me are more likely to stay silent."
I was a recent college graduate in 2001 Baltimore who, after a year of AmeriCorps and two other jobs, interviewed for a corporate position found in a newspaper ad. The hiring manager presented two roles: office manager and inside salesperson. When the office manager role was described as a "mother hen," I refused the label and demanded the inside sales position, speaking with unprecedented clarity. The company hired me; I stayed until layoffs made me the first fired. I now recognize that societal norms and patriarchy encourage women’s silence while many men speak up more readily.
Read at Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
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