Free Write: Incompetent Men in the Business

Maddy Payne

Expo "What is Work?" 1213

29 September 2015

3 main prejudices hold women back from holding positions in management.  As Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic states in his article "Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders," the three main prejudices that have long been kept in society, even after the passing of women's rights.  Firstly, women are not capable.  It is interesting that even with all the great female leaders and activists, society still holds true to the belief that women are not capable of working hard and getting the job done.  

Secondly, women are not interested in holding positions in management.  The reasoning behind this statement?  Maybe it comes from the domain women were originally associated with.  Maybe it is encouraged by the men in society today who do not like housework or doing chores and promote the statement to avoid having to do work themselves, keeping women securely in the home or in lower positioning jobs.  And, even then, maybe it is a combination of both.  

Third, and most likely, women are interested in and capable of holding positions in management; however, the gender roles and stereotypes women face push them back, keeping them from their potential and guiding them away from their dreams.  

The last reason is the most interesting one.  Why is it this "glass ceiling" prevents women from achieving high-level positions in high-level paying jobs?  Why are women shunned for being ambitious and zealous?  Well, there are multiple reasons.  

Men are still seen as the "macho-man," the superior figure who takes care of the weak (the women and children) in society.  Likewise, women are still sexualized in not only the media, but also the work place.  Clothing/appearance play a large role in how women are seen and taken in business and/or politics.  

Moreover, relating to the "macho-men" idea, many people still believe in this -older generations in particular.  That being said, it is the older generations who vote the most; thus, holding a lot of power in politics and the working industries.  Simply looking up the top ten business leaders, the result is mostly white Caucasian males.  

BUT, then again, women do have more opportunities.  As Chamorro-Premuzic brought up in his article, we must understand the difference between confidence and competence.  Sure, this can be applied to both males and females. Males might have confidence but not competence, but women might have competence and lack confidence.  It takes both to succeed in holding positions in management.  And, the lack of confidence might be what is keeping the glass ceiling firmly in place.  

Jokes: 

Am(bitch)tous 

Free Write: Work and Intelligence

10 September 2015

Thoughts on Mike Rose

Expo 1213 - What is Work?

Maddy Payne

While reading the introduction of Mike Rose's book, The Mind at Work, I began to realize how unfairly we judge those who perform physical labor and the types of connotations society places on the word intelligence.  The "blue collared" and "white-collared" employees complain about one another, whether it is being tired of looked down up or looking down upon those believed to be of lesser worth.  Intelligence is also a much debated term in the work force.  

Rose breaks down the definition into two parts.  First, cognition, which "refers to those mental processes involving perception, attention, memory, knowing, judging" (xx), all of which can be applied on a personal level.  Things like motives, values, and life goals are all developed and thought about through cognition.  Cognition is, I believe, what drives people to gain intelligence and achieve the goals, obtain the values, and compose the motives they may have.  Second, there is intelligence.  Like Rose said in his book, the Western definition of intelligence is basically the ability to learn and act, to apply knowledge and solve problems (xxi).  Intelligence nowadays has become something that people see as brain smarts.  Intelligence is seen as something that can be measured with an instrument, maybe an IQ test or an ACT score, but really, intelligence can be measured by so much more.  

What is intelligence...? 

What Is Truly Necessary?

8 September 2015

Blue Collars and White Collars

Expo 1213 - What is Work?

Maddy Payne

What is it that most students are told growing up? What is it that most students are told will grant them success in the future?  A college education and a degree.  However, many people today get by without one.  Those who want to become carpenters or masons go through different career training programs called either technical or trade schools.  No, it is not a college degree; however, unlike what many believe, the classes and skills required to become a carpenter or mason/bricklayer actually quite detailed and specific.  

In the documentary we watched today, The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work, we were able to understand the perspective of work and education from the working class.  Some tradesmen do their jobs because no one else will do it, other believe hands-on, dirty work is the only true work, and then there are some who genuinely like their jobs.  The documentary also it highlighted how essential their contributions to society are in order to keep everything up and running.  That being said, most stereotypes regarding blue collared works are wrong because they do contribute a lot to communities, their contributions just usually go unnoticed or unappreciated.  

Additionally, in the documentary, the beginning opens with a man talking about jobs and how physically and mentally involved people are with their job.  He states that out of every hundred workers, thirteen will have jobs based entirely on mental skills, eighteen will have jobs based solely in manual skills, and the remaining sixty-nine  require a perfect combination of hand and mind coordination.  Personally, I believe that many people assume the working class makes up much of the 18% who only use manual skills; however, blue collared jobs, such as plumbing, carpentry, or bricklaying, are all jobs that require a deeper understanding of a complex system.  Without knowledge of how to do it, it is wrong and the end product is usually dysfunctional.  Today, many people, such as executives and CEOs do not know how to use a hammer, fix their plumbing system, or how to remove shingles and do a repair.  

Consequently, it is hard for many blue collared workers to understand or handle criticism from higher social classes who look down on them.  Many white collared workers hold negative connotations towards blue collared work because of their lack of a degree or university education.  Furthermore, blue collared workers in general are never seen much in the spotlight or shown appreciation for what they do.  Their jobs are seen as basic and only requiring simple thinking skills.  

Opinion on this? 

To come... 

The "Gap" Between Classes

3 September 2015

Is There A Solution?

Expo 1213 - "What is Work?" 

Maddy Payne 

Clearly, one can see looking at the image below how large the "gap" between classes is.  To me, it seems more substantial than a gap.  Regardless, the real question Americans should be thinking about is if this gap that exists and is growing between classes can be lessened.  The minimum wage earner and the median wage earner the pay per hour is more than twice as much.  Furthermore, the amount of money a CEO makes in comparison to a minimum wage earner is $20,160.00 an hour to $7.25 an hour. 

Moreover, the time it takes a minimum wage earner to make enough for one gallon of milk is also substantially less than what is takes a CEO.  What comes easily and without thought for CEOs, is, on the other hand, hard word and time for a minimum wage earner.  Both are working, but only one can afford basic needs.  Is is essentially, from the perspective of the minimum and sometimes median wage earner, having to work so much more than other people for the same result. 

 

Photo from: http://www.thecollaredsheep.com/infographic-the-99-need-a-raise/

So, what is the issue? Minimum wage earners might not be required to know specifics, have a degree in a certain field, or work with advanced technology.  Median wage earners, what I would consider the working class or a little above, might have some specialty skills but are more comfortable with hard work and little show.  However, there are many cases where the minimum and median wage earner both strive to be and work hard to become CEOs but simply do not have enough connections, references, experiences, etc. to do so.  Recent studies show that Americans are naturally hard working.  In Tom Suhrbur's article, "Working Longer and Enjoying it Less?" he describes the Fair Labor Standards Act that was established around 1938 to help prevent factories and businesses from overworking their employees.  This act made the 8 hours/40 hours a week the standard work time; however, nowadays, some, if not most, people work more than this amount.  Why?  Because Americans are always looking for work, always looking for a way to earn more.  

The gap between social classes is due to many reasons, some of which I do not know are fixable. Sometimes it is luck that gets people places.  Many CEOs are simply heirs to what their ancestors created.  Many minimum wage earners do have dreams and talents but simply do not know how to get out of their financial situation or debt.  The economy and social classes are complex and it is going to take a lot of time and planning to figure out a solution to solve the huge occupational inequality in the world today. 

Future Worries

**31 August 2015

Is It Luck?

Expo 1213 "What is Work?" 

Maddy Payne 

The extent of my working experience has been babysitting and dog walking.  Beyond that, I have never had a job that has a uniform, an application process, or specific time shifts.  Which, growing up, was nice but also holds me at a disadvantage because companies, restaurants, and other businesses are less likely to hire an inexperienced person than one who has a lot to show on his or her memory. 

After thinking about this, I wonder if inexperience is maybe a factor in why college graduates struggle with finding jobs after graduating.  Personally, I have a lot of friends who have gone to university, graduated, and are struggling finding jobs.  However, then again, that is why internships are so popular and usually utilized throughout college and during summers.  Thus, it still confuses me as to why college graduates who hold MS degrees, Bachelors degrees, and Masters have such a hard time finding jobs. 

Another reason I think it might be hard for college graduates to find a job out of college is a lack of connections.  Connections get people places.  References, suggestions, names, they are all necessary in order to fight the competition and obtain a job.