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Women at work face challenges in multiple forms and a boy club culture definitely ranks as one of the top reasons for a hostile work environment for female employees.
In 2017, Vice co-founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi said in a statement that the company had taken action over “multiple instances of unacceptable behavior”. This was in reference to the “boy club culture” which created a hostile work environment for the women at work. However, Vice is not the only culprit in creating hostile work environments for women. On March 20, the employees at Nike heard the message from the top executives, “we need to change.”
Mad Men, the popular TV series, provides an excellent insight into how boy clubs form and how they exclude women at work places. The modern workplace was designed around the idea that men would be the breadwinners while women would be stay at home moms. As such, it is not difficult to understand how workplaces end up promoting a culture that more often than not excludes women at work.
Boy clubs are exclusionary by their very nature as they often create male camaraderie by relying on sexist humour and female objectification. They are usually found in start-ups where the college mentality of “bro code” is carried onwards or when male employees bond together and offer solidarity through an informal social network via shared interests, a common past or maybe even something as small as locker room talk.
Women at work are often at the receiving end of the spillover from the power grabbing that occurs on account of this toxic work environment. Controlling access to important jobs or even the opportunity to have your voice heard can make all the difference. By denying important roles to women at work and creating structures that function and thrive on such seclusion creates a hostile work environment for the women at work.
It is often noticed that most women at work places face harassment in situations where they find it difficult to report the challenges faced by them. Recruitment consultancies such as Randstand understand women at work and the challenges they face. They report that most women at work see their career path negatively affected by withheld promotions or even resignations due to a hostile work environment.
Senior women leadership can prevent such boy clubs at work places by setting policies and ensuring that they are followed. By ensuring that policy guidelines are followed, employees face the ultimatum of reforming or exiting the company if their behaviour is not in line with the company’s expectations. Women also need to speak up and give regular feedbacks and form solidarity within their own groups. Opening up spaces for women at work allows them an avenue to address their issues and more importantly, to give them a voice within the work places.
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I may look sleepy, but I'm pretty wide awake. Feminist techie. Haunts the library. Kills the patriarchy in her spare time. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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