The current path of men
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The current path of men
I believe this should make for an interesting and hopefully tame discussion. I would like to preface it with a little about my personal beliefs. I always felt that we treated the Indians with terribly. The atrocities that we committed shortly after our arrival were despicable. I was reminded of this on my drive in to work this morning. I passed a Trail of Tears sign and thought about all the families it represented. It must have been horrible to be driven from your home land by dogs and people with guns. I don't want to digress too much. So, here is my topic for discussion.
My wife is an office manager at an engineering firm. She came home yesterday and informed me that one of the female engineers is resigning to take a position with another company. The lady told my wife the new company is 50% woman owned. She also said that many companies they now do business with are requiring a certain diversity before they will even consider doing business with them. Hence she has decided to move to the new company that is more diversified in an attempt to gain those clients that want diversity.
I find this somewhat disturbing as a man. I don't want anyone to misunderstand. I love culture and people from other cultures. However, it seems that men are becoming less and less important. We are a melting pot of culture in this country and I think that is an awesome thing. However, it feels like men are being attacked from every angle. I believe diversity and being all inclusive present an interesting dichotomy that is changing the dynamics of the work force and how men are viewed. What are your thoughts?
My wife is an office manager at an engineering firm. She came home yesterday and informed me that one of the female engineers is resigning to take a position with another company. The lady told my wife the new company is 50% woman owned. She also said that many companies they now do business with are requiring a certain diversity before they will even consider doing business with them. Hence she has decided to move to the new company that is more diversified in an attempt to gain those clients that want diversity.
I find this somewhat disturbing as a man. I don't want anyone to misunderstand. I love culture and people from other cultures. However, it seems that men are becoming less and less important. We are a melting pot of culture in this country and I think that is an awesome thing. However, it feels like men are being attacked from every angle. I believe diversity and being all inclusive present an interesting dichotomy that is changing the dynamics of the work force and how men are viewed. What are your thoughts?
- beachlion
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Re: The current path of men
I think it is a problem with two sides.
One side is male chauvinism. To fight this, it should start already in childhood. My father told me when I became a teener to protect women in general and the female parts of the family in particular. This and similar ideas gave me the impression women were something that needed protection and support. I see this now as a benign form of male chauvinism implementation. In my opinion without that male chauvinism, women will be less intimidated to study more and be more aggressive in climbing the corporate ladder.
The other side is suitability. For a company, it is essential to have the right person at the right spot. You just can force a person in a job if another is better suited but not allowed because of a sort of quota. The company itself should deside which way to go. There could be a form of persuasion in the form of a non-diversity tax or fine but that should not endanger the company.
I worked for a shipyard, speaking of a macho-world. But the attitude towards women was quite positive. Most of them were secretaries or office managers but a few did designing, purchasing and higher management.
One side is male chauvinism. To fight this, it should start already in childhood. My father told me when I became a teener to protect women in general and the female parts of the family in particular. This and similar ideas gave me the impression women were something that needed protection and support. I see this now as a benign form of male chauvinism implementation. In my opinion without that male chauvinism, women will be less intimidated to study more and be more aggressive in climbing the corporate ladder.
The other side is suitability. For a company, it is essential to have the right person at the right spot. You just can force a person in a job if another is better suited but not allowed because of a sort of quota. The company itself should deside which way to go. There could be a form of persuasion in the form of a non-diversity tax or fine but that should not endanger the company.
I worked for a shipyard, speaking of a macho-world. But the attitude towards women was quite positive. Most of them were secretaries or office managers but a few did designing, purchasing and higher management.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
- Jim
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Re: The current path of men
After millennia of discrimination, maybe a little affirmative action is needed for a while. Then I hope we can get beyond judging people by their sex.I believe diversity and being all inclusive present an interesting dichotomy that is changing the dynamics of the work force and how men are viewed. What are your thoughts?
- denimini
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Re: The current path of men
I think that sums it up nicely.Jim wrote: After millennia of discrimination, maybe a little affirmative action is needed for a while. Then I hope we can get beyond judging people by their sex.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia