Читать книгу Silenced and Sidelined - D Lynn D Arnold - Страница 16

As long as I have been an active member of the workforce, I have heard and at times used game or war metaphors to describe work. We talk about losing battles to win wars. Or we discuss what chess moves to make next. We are all guilty of saying things like, “play to win” or “fight fair.” It is often unconscious and a way to relate to both genders. Sports, games, and war analogies are laced throughout our English language.

The silenced female leader has taken her language and metaphor up a notch. Her descriptions go beyond the benign examples we find in everyday organizations or teams. She refers to her role or her organization as a game she cannot win. She will fight to feel heard, fight to get work accomplished, or fight to have an equal voice at the table. The concept of the “fight” is prevalent. Male dominance is named as a barrier to her success, and she may have to fight the “good-ol’-boys club.” Fighting to be heard suggests a struggle with voice, and when that fight reaches a certain threshold, women lose their sense of agency.