Sexism will never change, in any industry, until those who believe it is unfair take a stand. I have had the pleasure to work in both male dominated and female dominated domains and have seen the sexism in both. People are people with individual belief systems, backgrounds, social experiences, and, yes, prejudices. All of these things color our every interaction.
Nothing is changing despite the plethora of conversations surrounding the topics of treatment of people in general, whether that be based on gender, race, orientation, cultural heritage, disability or religion. Zero tolerance policies have not made a difference and women, specifically, 'shouting from the rooftops' has made little impact. Maybe we all just need to treat each other with respect and as equals and when we witness something that is less than we would personally expect, then we take a stand.
I have repeatedly heard the excuse of that individual "is on the spectrum." Autisim is a diagnosis not an excuse and it certainly is not a "get out of trouble card." That applies both to those with autisim and those who use the "oh, he has autisim," as a means to placate. I have worked with thousands of individuals with disabilities and particularly those on the spectrum. I have yet to meet an individual who wanted to be treated as "special"; they want to be treated as every other man or woman in their industry. Yes, boundaries and facial expressions and directness can be difficult but work with people to understand what is acceptable/appropriate. It will take time but even individuals with autisim are capable of making adjustments to their behavior.
And I truly hate when women are disparaged for 'shouting from the rooftops' or the 'on the spectrum' statements used repeatedly to shut down these conversations. I wish people would make constructive, creative suggestions on how to make the workplace comfortable for everyone.
In short, an open, safe dialogue is needed. Laws prohibit these actions yet Lawsuits have not worked. The press has brought a great deal of attention to these matters yet the debate rages on.
Nothing is changing despite the plethora of conversations surrounding the topics of treatment of people in general, whether that be based on gender, race, orientation, cultural heritage, disability or religion. Zero tolerance policies have not made a difference and women, specifically, 'shouting from the rooftops' has made little impact. Maybe we all just need to treat each other with respect and as equals and when we witness something that is less than we would personally expect, then we take a stand.
I have repeatedly heard the excuse of that individual "is on the spectrum." Autisim is a diagnosis not an excuse and it certainly is not a "get out of trouble card." That applies both to those with autisim and those who use the "oh, he has autisim," as a means to placate. I have worked with thousands of individuals with disabilities and particularly those on the spectrum. I have yet to meet an individual who wanted to be treated as "special"; they want to be treated as every other man or woman in their industry. Yes, boundaries and facial expressions and directness can be difficult but work with people to understand what is acceptable/appropriate. It will take time but even individuals with autisim are capable of making adjustments to their behavior.
And I truly hate when women are disparaged for 'shouting from the rooftops' or the 'on the spectrum' statements used repeatedly to shut down these conversations. I wish people would make constructive, creative suggestions on how to make the workplace comfortable for everyone.
In short, an open, safe dialogue is needed. Laws prohibit these actions yet Lawsuits have not worked. The press has brought a great deal of attention to these matters yet the debate rages on.