1 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Emily and this and this is stuff 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Mom never told you, And today I am really stoked 3 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: for the conversation we're going to have around a term 4 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: that I actually have to admit. As much as I 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: read about, think about, and write about women's issues and feminism, 6 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: I had only recently stumbled upon this term benevolent sexism. 7 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: So I think what's funny is that the initials of 8 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: it are b s, because that's exactly what it is, 9 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: total b s. And I'm excited to talk through what 10 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: the heck benevolent sexism actually is, what it looks like. 11 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: And I think of it almost as like sexism light 12 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: diet sexism. Yeah, totally diet sexism, because it seems palatable, 13 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: it seems harmless, it seems like almost politeness. But sometimes 14 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: we have to uh, as women especially but as men 15 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: and women recognize and call out the harmful sexism that 16 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 1: is benevolent sexistem So this really became on my radar, 17 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: became more of my collective consciousness around this issue. With 18 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: Vice President Mike Pence, you may recall a few months 19 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: ago there was an article popping up about his policy 20 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: around not dining with women in his office alone. Okay, 21 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: can I just say how creepy that is? That was 22 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: the cree And in college I had a professor who 23 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: had a policy where he would not have office hours 24 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: alone with a female student, and so he would have 25 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: male students in his office alone, no problem. But if 26 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: you were a female student in the office hours, like 27 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: in the library or the coffee shop, and it's not 28 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: me to be so strange, like you can't be alone 29 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: with me because I'm a female, a female student of yours, 30 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: Like we have to go to a public place otherwise, 31 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: what Well, that's the thing, right, And what came out 32 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: of that kerfuffle with with the Veep's office is that 33 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,519 Speaker 1: there's a lot of offices here in Washington, d C. 34 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: But also I'm sure we're on college campuses where that's 35 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: become a policy, well intended to keep women safe, well 36 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: intended to keep people from talking about rumors about what 37 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: it might mean if a woman's alone with her boss 38 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: or with her professor. But that's actually not good, not good. 39 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: It's not good because it prevents women from being in 40 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: first of all, treated as equals, which is really people, 41 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: and second of all of being um having the same 42 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: access to v I P. S. So if the v 43 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: I he in your office, your boss, you're elected official, 44 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: who you're serving, can't be alone with you, can't have 45 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: dinner with you, and in his case it was unless 46 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: his wife was present. Um, then what does that mean 47 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: about the relationship building that can happen that's essential to 48 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: women's career success? And I think I think you really 49 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: hit the nail on the head and that, like, think 50 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: about all of the access that you get when you're 51 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: able to have that one on one time with your boss, 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: with the decision maker, with somebody important, right like if 53 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: you were I think that women are kind of excluded 54 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:29,959 Speaker 1: from a lot of that in other ways to where 55 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, the men in the office are going 56 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:33,839 Speaker 1: to go to you know, a strip club or something 57 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: like that. Like I think there there was a big 58 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: example of that recently, I think with Uber where they 59 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: went to a a I think it was a strip 60 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: club and the women in the office came but felt, 61 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: you know, very uncomfortable, made complaints and that if you 62 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: are you know, how many ways can Uber get that wrong? Honestly? 63 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: How many headlines do is ub have to have before 64 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: they just call it a day. We'll find out we're 65 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: keeping our running list. If Lift wants to call us 66 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: and sponsor the podcast, I would gladly accept that call 67 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: because is uber needs to shape up or ship out exactly. 68 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: So let's let's break this down a little bit because, um, 69 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: you know, we're going to talk about the intricacies of 70 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: why this can get even more complicated. But the ironic 71 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: part about benevolent sexism is that the people who perpetuated 72 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: are some are often doing so with women's best interests 73 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: at heart, and so it can it can feel well 74 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: intended and yet totally dehumanizing for women. So it actually 75 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: this term benevolent sexism was coined in with a study 76 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: done by Peter Glick and Susan Fisk. There were a 77 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: paper on this concept that they called ambivalent sexism, and 78 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: in that paper they defined two kinds of sexism. Hostile 79 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: sexism is what most of us think of when we 80 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: think about sexism. Angry explicitly negative attitudes towards women. So 81 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: this angry menimist you know, men's rights style, uh sexism, 82 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: that's pretty overt. But the kind of guy you find 83 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: on the internet who like clearly hates women, like has 84 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: a problem with women because they're women, um, which is 85 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 1: a whole different category than what we're talking about today. 86 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: And in the paper they went on to say, quote, 87 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: we define benevolent sexism as a set of interrelated attitudes 88 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: towards women that are sexist in terms of viewing women 89 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: stereotypically and in restricted roles, but that are subjectively positive 90 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: in feeling or in feeling and tone for the perceiver, 91 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: and also tend to elicit behaviors typically categorized as pro 92 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: social like helping or intimacy seeking like self disclosure, meaning 93 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: they basically are are taking care of women, right, So 94 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: these are behaviors like, well, I don't you know, women 95 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: need my protection, Women need my caring and support and 96 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: to be caring and supportive and protective of women, We're 97 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: not going to ask you to join us at the 98 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: golf club after work for this meeting, because that's no 99 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: place for you, no place for a little lady, no 100 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: place for a little lady, a little lass like you. 101 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: And it's like that verbal pat on the head that 102 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: is so dismissive and so dehumanizing and has real ramifications. 103 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: It does, and I think it's you know, when I 104 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: was reading the research for this episode, I was really 105 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: sort of struck by the way it operates along a 106 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: similar access of like race, where everyone knows that, like, 107 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: there are racists out there who are you know, they hate, 108 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 1: they hate people of color. They they you know, have 109 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: these negative attitudes about people of color. But then there's 110 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:37,799 Speaker 1: another kind of racism where it's like, oh, Latino women 111 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: are so fiery, or black people are great dancers, right, 112 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: like where it's like proci feeling but actually sold told, 113 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: routed in sort of ugly race related stereotyps exactly, And 114 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: it's easy to have happen. It's easy for for people 115 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: to fall into that trap. So I think it's important 116 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: for us to be able to recognize it. And also 117 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: that intersection of a net ent sexism and racism that 118 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: came up in the research It's wild, which blew my 119 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 1: mind was this idea of like men need to protect women. 120 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: This is like way back hopefully not a thing anymore. 121 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: I'm sure it is in some places, but um, that 122 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: idea of like, we white men need to protect our 123 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: women from scary you know, black men in the neighborhood, 124 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: right And it's funny. It's it's not funny, it's horrifying 125 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: how much of our sort of cultural norms are built 126 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: into this idea that, like, you know, black men and 127 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: white women living together, we must protect white women, we 128 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: must protect white womanhood at all costs, even if, like 129 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: ultimately it's actually bad for the woman. And I also 130 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: think what's so fascinating about the fact that this is 131 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: sort of rooted at a kind of race according to 132 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: the study racism, is that it totally erases black womanhood 133 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: from the mix. Right, And so if all, if this 134 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: entire cultural norm is based around white men protecting white 135 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: women from black men like whereen and totally erased from 136 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,040 Speaker 1: the mix, yeah, which is unfortunately common. I think the 137 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: more stations around race and gender and man, we've got 138 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: a lot more to talk about on that. There's like 139 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: seventeen other episodes in there. We should just like we 140 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: should have a couple episodes on intersectional feminism one oh 141 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: one mo wait forward, but well we'll we'll go there 142 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: and and listeners let us know if that's something you 143 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: want to hear more about as well, because it will 144 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: be part of every conversation. I think that prision I 145 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: have I love I want to bring attention to this 146 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: op ed penned by a dude named Clarence Page that 147 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: was titled When Politeness Closes career Doors to Women, which 148 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: really unpacked the troubling nature of Pence's dinner policy. And 149 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: I think put at, you know, put in clear terms 150 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: just how challenging and troubling and negative even these seemingly 151 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: positive twists on sexism can actually be. He said, quote, 152 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: people do talk. I'd agree, like they've talked about definitely 153 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: you and your boss hanging out so low. But how 154 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 1: much should we care? Efforts to avoid the possibility of 155 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: gossip should not require the certainty of unfairness, right which 156 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: I that was so clear? He said. Listen, treating any 157 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: employee differently on account of gender is probably illegal under 158 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: the civil rights laws that Congress has passed. And yet 159 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: here's Pen's basically overtly stating, here's how we treat women 160 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: explicitly differently. And so there's no girls allowed policy anywhere. 161 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: It's like, not okay, And that's obvious. And I think 162 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: what's so striking about this this piece is that it 163 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: really drives home the fact that ultimately it is hurting women, 164 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: right like, even if it's even if I think what 165 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: things like this. What's important to keep in mind is 166 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 1: that intentions are great, but they don't really matter. And 167 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: so even if you are well intentioned, you're doing this 168 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: because you don't want, you know, people to gossip about 169 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: your relationship and like all of that. Even if you're 170 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,719 Speaker 1: doing it with good intentions, you're actually you know, not 171 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: treating your you know, a woman like an equal. And 172 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: I think that's what we're asking for exactly. So we 173 00:09:57,559 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: have to look at the outcomes, even when the intention 174 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: their pure, we have to look at the outcomes. I 175 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: think that's true in your office policy, in our public policy, 176 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 1: in our own personal policy, and being willing to be 177 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: open minded when you're proceeding with the best of intentions, 178 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: but get feedback that says, hey, this is how this 179 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: actually affects me as a woman in your office. I 180 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: feel left out these conversations totally. UM. I have an 181 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: interesting example which is like very sort of small scale, 182 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: I think, but I was just reading it. UM. I 183 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 1: love reading advice columns and like advice blogs, and there 184 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: was really it's my like I could like Dear Polly 185 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: and a shout out to Slate, UM my favorite one. 186 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: I like that one. I could read them forever. They're 187 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,199 Speaker 1: so good. But there was one that is, there're all women, 188 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: They're all women. We need to do an episode on that. 189 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: I'm discribbling sound advice. Are there any advice columns written 190 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,319 Speaker 1: by men? That's a good question, um, But yeah, So 191 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 1: it's a woman writing in and she says that she 192 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: works on the top floor of her buildinging and that 193 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: you know, usually in the elevator it's a mix of 194 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: men and women. It's a very crowded elevator, and that 195 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: one of her co workers is always going out of 196 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: his way to make sure the women get off the 197 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: elevator first. But actually this tends to create kind of 198 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: like confusing and like awkward, you know, just logistical situations 199 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: where people are moving out of the way and getting 200 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: off the elevator, and he doesn't do it for the men. 201 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: And basically she's like, I know that he's doing it 202 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: because it's a polite. He thinks it's a polite thing 203 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: to do, but it's actually like yeah, he thinks, but 204 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: it is actually like creating a kind of using an 205 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: awkward situation for everybody else. And basically she's like, oh, 206 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: it will be different if he did it for everybody, 207 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: men and women. But I don't think that, you know, 208 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: this dumb kind of gender throwback thing should be like 209 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: making everybody's elevator time more complicated and more difficult. And 210 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: it's interesting, it's interesting how so many of these little 211 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: things are rooted in trying to be nice to like 212 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: delicate women. What do you think about opening doors for women? 213 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: What do you think about it? Well, I somehow I 214 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: read this studies somewhere that when women hold doors open 215 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: for men, men feel negative about it. I don't know 216 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: where it was, so I try to track it down 217 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: and then put it in the notes. But I think 218 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: that popped up on my radar a couple of months ago, 219 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: and I just did that today on my way here. Yeah, 220 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: so actually it was fascinating. So I was leaving lunch 221 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: at this like grab and go type Mediterranean place and 222 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: a man was holding the door open in front of 223 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: me because he was coming in. I was leaving, but 224 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: this man, another man, man number two, was in front 225 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 1: of me, also leaving. This one guy holding the door open. 226 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 1: He's clearly standing there with the door open. There's a 227 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: guy in front of me leaving, and the guy in 228 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: front of me pushed the other door, went to push 229 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: the other door open. Why didn't want the other guy 230 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: to hold the door open for him? Funny enough, that 231 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: door that he just went to push was locked. So 232 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: I'm watching this all go down, and the guy was 233 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: holding the door open just as this little smirk on 234 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: his face. The other guy attempts to go in his 235 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: own way and open his own damn door. And then 236 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: I walked past. You know, I leave as well, and 237 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: I say thank you to the guy. So it's like, 238 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: I know a lot of women who like are offended 239 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: by the door opening, and this is what it goes 240 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: back to being treated different, right, So hold the damn 241 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: door open for men and women, and you're not perpetuating 242 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: benevolence sex as them, because we don't want to be 243 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: treated different. Exactly. I'm not a little fragilating, right, I 244 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: can open a door, so, like I was curious to 245 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: get your cakes. So for me, my my policy on 246 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: door opening. And I get that this is a very 247 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,199 Speaker 1: out there policy. I don't like it when anybody opens 248 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: the door for me because I feel like, you know 249 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: that feeling that you get when I feel like it's 250 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: like they want you to be like, thank you, oversized way. 251 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: Also like my number is exchanged for that. Yeah. I 252 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: also hate it when you're walking kind of slow and 253 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: someone's holding the door and like you're supposed to like 254 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: kind of huffle to get there faster, door open, when 255 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: I have to wait a second, even if someone's like 256 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: two steps, I don't mind it, but I'm always in 257 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: my mind it's like right now, or at least like 258 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: that's it. There's a performative aspect that works even if 259 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: you're not going any faster. You have to like pretend, 260 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: and then the other person feels it is a weird. 261 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: It's a weird thing, a weird society thing, and I 262 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: feel like I've tried to like opt out of a 263 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: little bit. Yeah, that's so good. I mean, just go 264 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: extra slow. And then it crosses that threshold into how 265 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: long I'm willing to wait, and that's awkward where it's, 266 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: oh my god, Okay, what the hell are you talking about? 267 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: We're talking about envolent sexes. The actually you know it 268 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: now would be a good time to take a break, 269 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: and then when we come back, we'll talk about how 270 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: benevolent sexism is actually linked to heightened levels of violence 271 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: against women in general. So we'll be right back after 272 00:14:50,520 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsors. All right, So we're talking 273 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: through benevolent sexism and how even though it looks like 274 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: the nicest form of being a misogynist so sweet, it's 275 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: still it's still sexism. Sweet, sexism is still in fact sexism. 276 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: So I found that this this report here that we 277 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: came across from the Harvard Business School on Gender and 278 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: Work really shown a light on how very not innocuous 279 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: benevolent sexism can be. Right. And so again we're sort 280 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: of talking about it in terms of being this like 281 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: nice form of sexism that's sort of rooted in wanting 282 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: to protect women, but it's actually, according to the study, 283 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 1: been linked to you know, violence against women. So, according 284 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: to a report for the Harvard Business School's Gender and 285 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: Work Conference, countries with more benevolent sexism also tend to 286 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: have more overt hostile sexism. In addition, places where people 287 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: hold more benevolently sexist beliefs to out fewer women in 288 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: government and business leadership roles. Furthermore, women who buy in 289 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: the benevolent sex them because a bit more hostility toward 290 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: women who buck gender roles that I find really compelling totally. 291 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: So again you're thinking of this as like being really nice, 292 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: but actually it's a sign of something is amiss, right 293 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: that people that you're in a society, or people have 294 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: negative views about women, and women are being treated not 295 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 1: just sort of benevolently in a sexist way, but overtly 296 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: in a sexist way. And that's again like hostility towards women. 297 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: Are just outright treating women badly, but their linked you 298 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: know the words. It looks like it's not such a 299 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: bad thing. But anyone who's like and this is I 300 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: find at the end of that quote, because the idea 301 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 1: that women who buy into benevolent sexism can perpetuate these 302 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: negative stereotypes to totally totally resonates with me. Because still, 303 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: I mean, my most feminist friends will say, Oh, these 304 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: are just the boys playing video games. Is just what 305 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: boys do. This is what comes of being you know, 306 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: they're playing seven hours of shoot them up video games. 307 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: Solid that's just what you get with with guys and 308 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: living with guys. Or my friend and and former roommate 309 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,919 Speaker 1: would be like, oh, I can't reach that. Can you 310 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:07,600 Speaker 1: help me? It's just a little old me here, I 311 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,639 Speaker 1: need a handy. I'm big, strong, handyman. And I'm not 312 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: saying like that's not true for you, but the idea 313 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,720 Speaker 1: of connecting your gender to these underlying rates or the 314 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 1: man's gender to these preconceived notions of what comes with 315 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 1: that can be really like beyond annoying. It can be 316 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: really messed up, and it can actually, I think, create 317 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: the sense of learned helplessness totally totally. And I think 318 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: that like because I heard a little bit of myself 319 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: in that like impression of your roommate that you were 320 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: doing because I have this, I have this thing where 321 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,959 Speaker 1: I hate bugs until if there's a bug in the 322 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: mix or not going around it, I like, I mean 323 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: I like bugs to just live and let live. Yeah, 324 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 1: I'm not saying yeah exactly, I don't want them in 325 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: my house. So when I see one, I'm I couldn't 326 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: retreat into this like I don't have to do this 327 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: because I'm a girl, right right, and know what's it's 328 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 1: better to say like I don't have to I'm not 329 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: going to do this because me bridget as an individual 330 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: and not cooled bugs when you connect it with like 331 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: the gender, like oh can you kill this bug? Because 332 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,720 Speaker 1: I'm simply a meek, healthless woman who can handle a bug, right, Like, 333 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: that's a different thing. And so I think it takes reminders, 334 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: like I have to remind myself that like it's about, 335 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:24,639 Speaker 1: you know, individuals and letting individual giving individuals the freedom 336 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,919 Speaker 1: to you know, express who they are on their own terms, right, 337 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: and not sort of making it about you know, matter 338 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: of course men are gonna play video games because all 339 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: men do that, Right of course women are going to 340 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: do X y Z because that's how women are. It's 341 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: just an oversimplification that is dehumanizing, you know. But this brilliantly, 342 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: and I think is maybe the woman who first raised 343 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: my awareness on benevolent sexism is our pal Liz Playing, 344 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: a friend of the show. She's amazing. You might know 345 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: her from her great work on teen Ish, her show 346 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: for vox Um, and her long history of reporting with 347 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: Mike Um. But recently she sat down with the amazing 348 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: uh Dylan Marin of Seriously TV and she shot it down. 349 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 1: She broke down the whole misconception of benevolent sexism being 350 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: benign by just saying, and I thought she put this 351 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: so simply and so perfectly. You know, we as women 352 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 1: don't want to be treated differently. We want to be 353 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: treated equally, and we need to remember that, and we 354 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: need to focus on the outcomes of difference, right when 355 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,680 Speaker 1: when otherness yields negative outcomes that shut women out, that 356 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 1: put women in a box, or putting men in a box, 357 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: And that's an unfair, outdated, frankly stereotype. And I think 358 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:48,640 Speaker 1: it goes so it goes back so well to what 359 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:50,919 Speaker 1: you were just saying about sort of, you know, the 360 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: freedom to express. Individuals need to be able to express 361 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: themselves regardless of gender. And like when you make it 362 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: about you know, all women do this or all men 363 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: do that, those are the kinds of things that make 364 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: it hard for people to get out of these gender boxes. 365 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: So if you want to have a society where you know, 366 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's positive for men to write like, 367 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: I think that men are often often kind of imprisoned 368 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,160 Speaker 1: by this idea that men have to be this way 369 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: or that way the same way that women are. And 370 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: so I think if you want a society where that 371 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: is not the case, is we have to keep this 372 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: in mind. And it is tough, Like I think that 373 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: we all need a reminder we fall into that. And 374 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: I think you know, my my best friends and I 375 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 1: and the Boo and I have gotten more comfortable challenging 376 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: each other's assumptions by saying, well, what do you mean 377 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: by that? You know? Or I thought, you know, gender 378 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: wasn't a restriction, you know what I mean? Like, there's 379 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: I'm looking at some of these underlying beliefs behind benevolent sexism, 380 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: and one of them is I love women. And I 381 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: love women sounds like an innocuous feminist thing to say. 382 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: It sounds like something my feminist friends might say, like, oh, 383 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: I hate working with men. I just want to with 384 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: all women. And you're like, wow, that's not okay. It 385 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: doesn't help when we say all women are or all 386 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: men are, whether you're saying negative or positive there. I 387 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: I dislike that aspect of benevolent sexism, that I love 388 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 1: women thing so much, like I've I feel like I 389 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: have seen that sort of like and it does. It 390 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 1: does sound nice, but I mean, like I love women, 391 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: although I like women are a brand that you can 392 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: be a fan of, right like I I yeah, exactly. 393 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: And it's like the idea that you can say like, oh, 394 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: I love women, and that that means that you can't 395 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: like you know, have hostility to women or not respect 396 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: to me. It's kind of related to this idea. Like 397 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,879 Speaker 1: a couple of months ago, UM that filmmaker Nate Parker 398 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 1: that he was involved in the entire thing about his past, um, 399 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,199 Speaker 1: you know, sexual abuse of a classmate, and when he 400 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: was called out at it, he was like, I love women. 401 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: I have I have daughters, right like I have a 402 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,239 Speaker 1: you know, I have a sister. Like this idea that like, 403 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: as men, if you have some sort of close personal 404 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: relationship with a daughter, your wife, your mom, that luck 405 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: quote unquote love of women exactly means that you can't 406 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: have hostile you know, add and I hate it like 407 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 1: I saw it um quite a while ago during the 408 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,399 Speaker 1: GUP debates, and one of those throwaway questions that they 409 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: were asked was if you could pick one woman to 410 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: go on the twenty dollar bill, who would you pick? 411 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,879 Speaker 1: And so many of them were like, oh, my wife, 412 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,719 Speaker 1: my daughter, And I remember thinking like, it's not I 413 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: know that you mean it in a complimentary way, but 414 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: like the fact that you can't name another notable woman 415 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 1: other than like someone in your own family is troubling, 416 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: does not make it seem like you love women. Or 417 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 1: like respect women's contributors exactly, and you know our country exactly, America, 418 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: you know pez Well, I think that's I think that's 419 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: a really good point. I'm also starting to feel self 420 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:59,640 Speaker 1: conscious about this because I have in the past ben 421 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: chaw lenge by you know, mixed gender audiences that I'm 422 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,880 Speaker 1: working with on combating unconscious bias. Let's say that's one 423 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: of my signature talks that I give at companies, and 424 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: recently was working with an I T company in the 425 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:18,920 Speaker 1: finance and defense industries. Cybersecurity meets finance meets gender, right, 426 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: so they were that was the topic of the game. 427 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: That's a lot already. So I'm looking on the audience 428 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: and it's like mostly male, mostly pale, mostly above the 429 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: age of fifty. And here's Emily from to give us 430 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: a little chat about combating unconscious gender bias. And I 431 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 1: remember thinking I had to defend myself by saying things 432 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: like I love men, I have brothers, I you know, 433 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 1: I have a boyfriend, to make it like more that 434 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:49,720 Speaker 1: I'm I'm not. Yeah, And now I'm unpacking that and 435 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:54,120 Speaker 1: thinking that is messed up and like, but it's interesting 436 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: that you felt like you had to like you had 437 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: to credential yourself in that way. I'm I'm maybe talking 438 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: about under bias. I don't hate men, right, And to 439 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: be fair, I didn't open with that that was like 440 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: in the Q and A portion, But I just think 441 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: we remember afterwards talking with people about Hannah Rosen from 442 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: the Atlantic and her great research and her great ted talk, 443 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: which you know, her book was called The End of Men, 444 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: which is maybe the most hyperbolic title ever, but she 445 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 1: talks about how unconscious bias is troubling for men and 446 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: little boys, especially for whom we have like a learning 447 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: crisis in our school systems right now. Blah blah blah. 448 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 1: I was trying to make myself clear that feminism is 449 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 1: good for everyone, but I did. I had that. You know, 450 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: this benevolent kind of of sexism can feel like a 451 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: kind of a throwaway shortcut of proving yourself totallys woke 452 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: when you are just cutting corners in a way that 453 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: totally totally and I think that I just want to 454 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: underscore that point that like this is something that we all, 455 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: like I struggled with, that you struggled with. I think 456 00:24:57,920 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: it's something and that's like the trip of a gender 457 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: that's say, was like raise or other things that we 458 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: deal with, right, Like we are constantly unpacking, constantly confronting, 459 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,200 Speaker 1: even in ourselves. And so I went through a phase 460 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,879 Speaker 1: where I was really into like arguing with dudes on Twitter, 461 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 1: and I remember it was it was a holiday weekend 462 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: when I got into a long hour's long argument about 463 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:23,919 Speaker 1: Ghostbusters and I kept feeling like them, um and you know, 464 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: I sort of felt myself. I felt like I was 465 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: coming off as a quote unquote shrill feminist, and so 466 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,200 Speaker 1: I kept sort of feeling like I needed to be like, 467 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: you know, ying qualifying it and like making myself seem 468 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 1: very jovial, very you know, like oh I'm one of 469 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: the boys, Like I'm not one of those angry femin Yeah, relatable. 470 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 1: That's b S. I shouldn't have to, you know, I 471 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: shouldn't have to fall back on this like lazy understanding 472 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: of gender and talking about gender just to like credential 473 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,880 Speaker 1: myself as not as like not one of these threatening, 474 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: you know people who hates man exactly. I didn't want 475 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 1: to be a black woman exactly. I think that's that's 476 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: good to to acknowledge. And I mean I hope that 477 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: everyone here at sminting knows that we when we say 478 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: we want to be treated like equals and humans, that 479 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: includes all of our flaws and all of our weaknesses 480 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 1: and all of our stumbles. And I think the more 481 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: like honest and canon we can be about that, I mean, 482 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: you know, we're imperfect humans, and so let's let's figure 483 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: this out. So so I hope that we can sort 484 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: of all get better together, we can all boss up 485 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 1: and feminist. Yeah, don't you see the more you know, 486 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,879 Speaker 1: star going across the screen, do do do? Do? I 487 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: love it that I'm getting nostalgic for, like my CBS 488 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: station twenty five years ago. So we're going to talk 489 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,440 Speaker 1: about some ways that you can actually combat this kind 490 00:26:54,440 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: of sexism after this quick break. So we're just talking 491 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: about all the ways that benevolent sexism rears. Its ugly 492 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:14,680 Speaker 1: but well meaning, but also ugly and troubling. It's politely 493 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: ugly head and so we wanted to just talk through 494 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: a couple of ways that you can combat this because 495 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: it's something that we all, I think, deal with. So 496 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: the first is call it out, so you know, when 497 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: someone makes an assumption about you rooted in your gender, 498 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 1: don't be afraid to pause and point that out. And 499 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: so one of the ways that I see this play 500 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 1: out a lot is um when you're doing like organizing 501 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: work and having meetings and things like that, someone has 502 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: to be note taker. And so usually it'll be like, 503 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: you know, if you've ever been in a situation like that, 504 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,919 Speaker 1: and always like, oh, well, the assumption is that the 505 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,720 Speaker 1: woman is going to have good handwriting, she's going to 506 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,199 Speaker 1: be a good active listener and be a great note taker. 507 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 1: And so, you know, we had a policy where when 508 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: someone asked a woman to be a note taker, we 509 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,439 Speaker 1: explicitly expected a man to be like, no, we always 510 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,199 Speaker 1: make women take notes, and that's not cool, and so 511 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 1: as a man, I'm gonna take notes, so don't be 512 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,879 Speaker 1: afraid to call it out. I once saw like a 513 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 1: really hilarious thing on Twitter where someone was in like 514 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: high school working on a group project and a guy 515 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,639 Speaker 1: had been like, take notes on this, and then the 516 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:20,440 Speaker 1: woman had been like the female students, and then when 517 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: she turned the notebook around, it just said, I'm not 518 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 1: your goddamn secretary. Oh man, oh my god, please listeners, 519 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:30,680 Speaker 1: please do that and tell me how it goes. Let's 520 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: take a photo of that and like you're surreptitious notes. 521 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:39,040 Speaker 1: I love this, So there's just reminds you that Bustle 522 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: article too. I'm like seven ways to respond to benevolent sexism, 523 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: which will include in the notes here. She says, when 524 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 1: you're given quote women's work, I know that it's okay 525 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 1: to say now, right. So when someone says, oh, girls 526 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 1: are good at this, right, you you ladies take care 527 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 1: of this? What do your party planning committee? Right? Just 528 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: like the office, all the women or the party, it's 529 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: okay to say no. Um. What's so interesting about that 530 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: is they've actually done studies that show that. Um, And 531 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 1: I wish I had done research around this. But but 532 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: you're imperfectly perfect. In the workplace, women are sort of 533 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: shouldered with the extra responsibility of these kinds of things. 534 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: So what's like carrying on top of your job planning 535 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: the party, you know, getting the card for Linda on 536 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,239 Speaker 1: accounting and making sure everyone signs the bringing cupcakes, all 537 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 1: of those little you know, um, I forget that the 538 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: expression for it, but all those other little kind of 539 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 1: non work related maintenance things. They usually it's fault to women. 540 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 1: So it's like being expected to do another job for 541 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: free on top of your job, which is absurd, and 542 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: it's not bad to want to do that. It's bad 543 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: to assign that work unconsciously based on gender exactly. And 544 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 1: so I think another strategy here is to flip this gript? 545 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: So what do you mean by that? I love, because 546 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: it's really about you know, call when you call something 547 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: like this out, you might want to say, listen, boss 548 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: or colleague or whomever. Would you say that to Jack 549 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: and Joe and Jason and all the guys in the 550 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: office just the same, Like, flip the script and ask them, 551 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: you know, is this exactly? How is this what you 552 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: would say if I were a guy? And so giving 553 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: yourself that litmus test too too, when you're sort of 554 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,959 Speaker 1: unpacking you know, was that am I being a benevolent sexist? Here? 555 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: I'm trying to be nice? But is am I mothering 556 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,000 Speaker 1: women in my office? And I am I treating women differently? 557 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 1: Or my treating them as respected peers and equals? Ask 558 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: yourself would I say the same thing to a room 559 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: full of men? And I think those are tough questions 560 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: to ask, because are it's it's not simple, it's not 561 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: really simple, But I think, um, those are ways to 562 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: be more mindful about what can be unconscious and seemingly benevolent, 563 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: and yeah, just and just being willing to recognize that 564 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: all of ourselves looking inward and sort of being willing 565 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 1: to be self reflective, because again, gender stuff is this 566 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: big trip of you know, with mind fields and trip 567 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: wires everywhere, and of course we're all gonna, like, you know, 568 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: have this kind of stuff play out in our own 569 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: down minds, and so just being willing to recognize it 570 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: and being willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable a 571 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,640 Speaker 1: little bit can produce some really great outcomes. The last 572 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,959 Speaker 1: strategy that I really like here is um, you know, 573 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: letting someone know that it's not okay when they're protecting 574 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: you from bad news or information or whatever it might be. 575 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: Sometimes in the office, especially when a project is not 576 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: going well or clients not happy, there's this this trend 577 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 1: that is all imbued within with the benevolent sexism, which is, oh, 578 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: I didn't want to tell you that you're you know, 579 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: your client project is really going off the rails here, 580 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 1: because I don't want you to worry your little head 581 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 1: off about that. I don't I don't want you to like, 582 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: you know, don't sweat it. I I I'm hoarding this 583 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: information or this bad news to protect you, sweet lady, 584 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 1: and you have to say, listen, that's not okay because 585 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: flip the script and you know, use that technique, call 586 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 1: it out, use that techn and then say that I 587 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: in order to do my job as the respected professional 588 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: that I want to be here, you need to be 589 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: willing to share even bad news with me, right, and 590 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:14,479 Speaker 1: a kind of mean like like the idea that like 591 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: you don't need someone else to fight your battles, Like 592 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 1: you don't need like you're capable human and that like 593 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: someone doesn't have to protect you from you know, information 594 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: that you need or whatever it is that you need, 595 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 1: right the same way that you don't need if you're 596 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: an able bodied adult, you don't need someone open a 597 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,280 Speaker 1: door for you, like you know, you don't need someone 598 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: to protect you from like something that's going to be 599 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 1: bad or negative. And those unconscious assumptions that you need 600 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: protecting or caring for can really dismiss women totally full 601 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: you know, people that we are. Um. I find that 602 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 1: a lot of the companies I work with have men 603 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: who are afraid to give criticism to their subordinate women. 604 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 1: So they're male managers, they've got women on the staff, 605 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 1: and they have to tell, you know, the woman why 606 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 1: her presentation went off the rails or why her attires 607 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: inappropriate for the office setting. And they're like, nope, I 608 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,360 Speaker 1: can't do this. I'm so not doing this. So then 609 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,840 Speaker 1: and then women don't get they don't get the professional 610 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: development they need, they don't get the feedback they need. 611 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: And then it's like and then they're afraid. They're afraid 612 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,280 Speaker 1: of stumbling into the trip wires. That is you know, 613 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: this is this is exactly what we're talking about. Imagine 614 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: if you were that that male boss who was freaked 615 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: out about, you know, having this candid conversation with a 616 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 1: cry in my office, right, and then that that female's 617 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: employee goes on thinking that what she's doing is fine, 618 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: that this has not been like giving this feedback that 619 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,480 Speaker 1: could actually be helpful to her, and you're actually, in 620 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,640 Speaker 1: the long term doing her a great dissertace, right, Like 621 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: if you'd pulled her aside and said, hey, here is 622 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,760 Speaker 1: some constructive criticism on your thing. I know you can 623 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: handle it. I want to be straight up with you, right, 624 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: you're giving you're doing her a favorite by being honest 625 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,360 Speaker 1: and treating her the way that you would any other employee. 626 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: But by not, by not giving her that respect that 627 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: you would any other employee, you're actually making her you know, 628 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,600 Speaker 1: you're doing chivalry can be a real a service like 629 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: it's an attempt at chivalry and being a gentleman for 630 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:09,600 Speaker 1: a sweet little lady. And it's unhelpful. So go forth, 631 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: women of Sminty and call it out. Flip the script. No, 632 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:16,840 Speaker 1: it's okay to say no to women's work. Know that 633 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 1: you can be assertive about, you know, saying that I 634 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 1: need to hear the bad news or the or the 635 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 1: feedback that you have for me. And you know, let's 636 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: make sure that we bring men along for the ride 637 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:34,240 Speaker 1: in educating one another about this seemingly nice form of sexism, 638 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: you know, even when it means calling out our gal 639 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,680 Speaker 1: pals and our guy friends who are exhibiting these underlying 640 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,839 Speaker 1: beliefs about women or men based on general alone. Let's 641 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,879 Speaker 1: get better together, people, Let's get better together. I want 642 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:52,399 Speaker 1: to bump a stick. Awesome, Well, thank you so much 643 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,120 Speaker 1: for tuning in for another episode, and we want to 644 00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: hear from you. I want to know if benevolent sexist 645 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: it is something that you've seen in your office, in 646 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: your workplace, in your kitchen table conversations, whatever it might 647 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,480 Speaker 1: look like. And is this something that you've struggled with 648 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 1: like Bridget and I, have you found yourself accidentally falling back? 649 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 1: I'm thinking this is woman's work or this is man's work. 650 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:21,279 Speaker 1: I can't do this and you know, trying to be 651 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: nice but instead finding yourself holding limiting beliefs based on 652 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:28,839 Speaker 1: gender alone. Is this a real issue? Do you want 653 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,200 Speaker 1: to hear from you? We want to hear how envelope 654 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:33,719 Speaker 1: sexism has played out in your life. Um, do you 655 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:35,960 Speaker 1: think it's a real thing? How's it going? Unpacking it? 656 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: Let us know? Shoot us an email at mom Stuff 657 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. You can tweet us 658 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 1: at Mom's Stuff podcast on Twitter. And if you end 659 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: up doing some subversive note taking your meeting, not so 660 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:50,960 Speaker 1: I have to get fired, but also send us a 661 00:35:50,960 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: picture where stuff mom ever told you on Instagram to 662 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:01,759 Speaker 1: say for