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When People Assume You’re Not in Charge Because You’re a Woman
by Amy Diehl and Leanne M. Dzubinski
When a digital marketer we’ll call Alexandra attended meetings alone, clients often asked, “Are we waiting for him to arrive?” “Him” was an imaginary person, Alexandra’s supposed male boss. The clients assumed that Alexandra was in a support role instead of the key decision maker.
For a while Alexandra downplayed the mistake for fear of offending the clients, but soon she realized that their condescending view limited discussions. As she explained, “Walking into a negotiation where the other person is basically telling you up front they deem you less than, even before you open your mouth, was and is demoralizing.”
Alexandra’s experience isn’t ...
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