Pretty Good, for a Woman in the Workplace
Here are the facts: I am currently the only woman on my team of three at work. I have never to my knowledge experienced discrimination because of my gender. My boss' boss is a woman. I have conversations with many older men (35 and above) in my company. I am a small woman, under 5 feet tall. I have a higher voice than some of the women in my company. My feelings: Sometimes I suspect that they (not my managers, but other men) think I can't handle physical tasks. "Do you need help with that box?" Sometimes I do need help, but then I wonder if they respect me or not for needing help. My managers rarely show strong emotions, such as sadness or stress-induced anger. Therefore, I feel that I am not able to show many emotions in front of them, for fear of being perceived as weak or pitied. Sometimes I feel pressure to push through my tasks so that I stay under their radar and in good favor with them. I wonder if they see me as a potential leader or only being ...