WomenCo.

it is the general observation at an office environment that women bosses are not taken seriously.  either the lady has to have an impregnable air of authority and aloofness around her or would have to be extremely jovial, goody - goody and go-getter to be able to command work and respect from her peers and her team.  while the men folk at office do nto have to prove themselves so hard.  life is rather easy for them.

I agree that women aren't taken seriously as bosses. She has too be either bitchy, on the verge of being a push over, or flirty and ulta-feminine to get what she wants. In the book/movie "The Devil Wears Prada", "the bitch boss from hell" Andrea is an excellent example. Sure she was a bitch and what-not but what I really saw was a woman in  the kind of business(which might as well had been any business) where if she dont put on a tough act no one was going to respect her. She was on top and succesful. Lonely and feared too but we basically get the point. be strong and tough but kind at the same time. Although people say its a difference in being feared than respected but can we women follow that in our careers?

I dont think it stops with the office setting. I have had positions that should not have been gender spacific in which I ran into the same problem. Either I was to soft or was seen as to masculine. sometimes it changed in less than a day. I think my boss had a problem working with women....or me as I was the only one.

I am working for my first male boss in the past year.  I am at my first organization NOT run by a woman too.  However, I was in social services before, now higher ed.  I see women in the top spots on our campus- but not compared to the men.  I spoke to the (as in one) female executive VP about her perception of women in business and the glass ceiling- her advice to students.  She said that they should ignore it and just push forward.  I spoke to our female provost- her advice was to know the field you are playing on (ie: do not play basketball on a football field).  Overall, I have not heard anything negative about those two women- but that is the thing- 2 women at the highest level out of maybe, 15?  Women at "lower" managment roles I have heard called a "bitch"- usually by other women.

I miss working in an office of all women, when someone was called a "bitch", usually it was for a reason other than being catty...  I marvel at the knots that women have to twist themselves into for the perception of others to be taken seriously- usually to the detriment of their own personality.

However, good news?  Here in RI our first female Chief of Criminal Prosecution,ever, was appointed within the Department of Attorney General- I have the pleasure of knowing her- and she has somehow seemed to stay above all the "bitch" or "weak" descriptive extremes, and has the respect of her peers, male and female.  Her secret- being herself and being good at her job.

This is a pretty interesting topic.  I've never had a problem being taken seriously by my subordinates.  I didn't think I would, so I didn't, if you know what I mean.  Because I behaved as though I expected respect, I got it.  People have always told me that I don't seem like the kind of person you would want to disrespect, but having said that, it's always been appreciated that I give the same respect that I want to get.  I never ask anyone to do something that I wouldn't do myself, and if someone knows how to do something that I don't, I acknowledge that.  And I always make sure that I treat everyone as though they are a valued member of the whole team, not just some underling.  Now, how much all of those things had to do with the reaction I got and how much of those things might have simply been also a matter of always being fortunate when it came to the people I worked with, I don't know.  But I do know that many women complain of not being taken seriously in the business world, so it has to be true and there has to be a reason for it.  Now, I have seen women treated like idiots by the men that they go to buy cars from.  There is a perception that women just naturally won't know about cars.  I wonder if that attitude is similar to the one that keeps most women from getting respect as managers?

McKaren says ...

I love this topic -- there are so many layers to it.  I've worked very hard over the years to be taken seriously by my peers who are mostly men; to be considered -- based on my experience and skills, not my gender.  I'll go to an industry function where I'll see a woman doing the cutesy helpless thing and it boils my blood, it diminishes all of us.  Over the years I've listened, while someone will complain, they're not being taken seriously enough and then in a big meeting, watch as they defer to someone else (a man) when they had the better information and he was simply wrong.  We sometimes sabotage ourselves.  The differences in how men and women are perceived go hand in hand with the differences of our skill sets -- we bring a unique quality to how we manage and problem solve and create.  Like anything else -- knowing the pitfalls is half the battle -- sharing the experience like we are doing here, is how we make it happen.

well said.  I agree, I've seen some of us do the helpless thing, and it really makes me mad.  I even read an article once on how to appear the most helpless so that men would notice you!  One of the suggestions was to cut the heels of your shoes so that you would walk in a wobbly way, making men feel like giving your their arm.  Couldn't you just barf??  I wouldn't want the notice of a man that needs me to be helpless.  I like the man who is proud of who I am and understands who I am not, and there are men like that out there.

To AJaneChambers:

I believe you will get much inspiration and information from Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Esq's book:

Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women's Success in the Law.

She has been a guest on my radio show, and he book is nationally acclaimed.

Let me know what you think once you've read it!

Terri