Daily stories
The Woman Project, Woman Fact 2: Bossy or a Leader?
Why do we call a woman "bossy," and a man "a leader," for the exact same behavior?
READ IT
I once ran a meeting the same way a man in my office always ran his. I gave clear instructions. I didn't soften every sentence with "maybe" or "just a thought." I said what needed to happen, and by when.
Afterward, someone said, "Wow, Sue was really bossy today." The same week, that man ran his meeting exactly the same way. Someone said, "He's such a strong leader."
Same room. Same tone. Same words, almost. Two completely different labels, handed out like it was obvious which one belonged to who.
I didn't say anything that day. But I noticed. And once you notice something like that, you can't really un-notice it again.
SAY IT
Practice this phrase out loud today: "I noticed that, and I'm not going to un-notice it."
It's a simple, confident way to say: I saw what happened, and I'm not pretending I didn't.
THINK IT
Has a word ever been used to describe you that would have been a compliment on someone else? What word was it, and what would you call it instead, if you got to choose?
CHALLENGE IT
Today, notice one moment where the same behavior gets a different name depending on who's doing it. You don't have to say anything out loud. Just notice it, on purpose, and let that be enough for today.
