Illustration by Abigail Larson
Although it has become more clear, as the years go by, that woman is entitled to every opportunity a men has in this lifetime, there is always a crippling shadow of a doubt will she achieve it. According to PayScale "...when men and women with the same employment characteristics do similar jobs, women earn $0.98 for every dollar earned by an equivalent man. In other words, a woman who is doing the same job as a man, with the exact same qualifications as a man is still paid two percent less for no attributable reason."
Which also translates to a situation where women see each other very often as a competition, rather than a source of inspiration.
We who have to give more, always need to give less, when corresponding with a men, not all of them, but the wrong kind for sure. Don't have an opinion; if a wrong kind of men likes it, it usually feeds his ego, if he doesn't like it, it usually hurts it. But it takes a lot to recognize the wrong kind, because for a lot of women today marriage or an relationship is still an achievement of a sort. A safe harbour, if everything else fails.
The sole communication in a workplace is more problematic for a woman. Be kind, but not too kind, because it could be missinterpreted, take care of your looks, but somehow avoid doing it so that people feel it is ok to comment on it. Those who have received comments from an inappropriate source understand.
Illustration by Abigail Larson
As I started dating, and as the ways of communication changed, many times I was also ghosted, and I thought it was ultimate form od disrespect. Than I started working, and men started saying that I shouldn't speak my mind, because people already didn't like the potential I was showing by working hard. As the male colleagues earned more and got to better positions, I would be called pretty, and somehow that was meant to be enough. Don't point it out; as if life is bad for you, they would tell me. You have your salary, your studies and if you are quiet, you will also have no problems.
Now I like men who just shut up in a form of never responding again, because they somehow do understand that you are better to be left alone, a wonderful person with interests and intellect that you are. Those who actively try to diminish your shine, just because they are inimidated by it, need to be proven even more wrong by our female achivements, and no matter how slow the progress may seem, it will come. Just empower other women while you're at it.