Wendy Mascio, alumni of Grove City College, returned last week to give a guest lecture on the topic of why and how she harnessed her entrepreneurial spirit to create a startup business of her own. Wendy’s story is inspiring for many reasons. She is a highly skilled and driven woman and her achievements point to these facts. However, the point of Wendy’s presentation that I personally found to be so inspirational was when she stressed to the women in the room that to be a woman in the workplace does not mean you need to be a man. In fact, she pressed the fact that it is so important that women remain women. “Wear skirts and dresses!”, Mascio told the women in the room. There is no need to put on a pant suit and a gruff demeanor to be taken seriously. Many women in today’s culture falsely believe that they need to be someone they are not in order to be heard. People will take you seriously if you present yourself with confidence and maintain a good work ethic.
BoweryJE22
I agree with you completely on this post. While there is still some gender discrimination out there, I believe those in the business world value women today more than ever. There are many women who work for my father’s business who are very respected because they work hard, are kind, and very intelligent. Their gender does not even enter into the equation. Women’s gender specific skills such as listening can even set them apart from their male counterparts like Wendy expressed with us.
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve had experiences with both types of women in the workplace and I can honestly say the women that are themselves have been much more successful in their respective roles. People (in particular men) are often put off by women who are clearly trying to force a masculine demeanor. I think it’s a good point and importantly noted, especially in the culture we live in!