All Women Work Environments

I work in an all-woman job environment. As such, I am acutely aware that there are a lot of assumptions about working with women. Assumptions such as women are "back stabbers", "gossipers", "can't get along with each other" and so forth.

And while I certainly know women who work in toxic all women or mostly women environments, and by no means want to dismiss or minimize their experiences, I would like to differentiate between anti-oppressive environments, and hierarchical all woman workplaces.

As well, I would like to challenge the idea that women are innately difficult to work with, but rather, that the patriarchy (and other oppressions, such as classism, heterosexism, homo/bi/transphobia, racism, ableism, and ageism, etc.) directly and indirectly pits marginalized people against each other.

Just as I do not believe that women, by nature, are more nurturing than men, I do not believe women are naturally more prone to back stabbing, bullying, and gossiping, than men.

Let's face it. Women are at the bottom of the food chain. And if you also happen to be a Woman of Colour, Aboriginal, transgender, gender variant, disAbled, an immigrant or refugee, or lesbian or bisexual, you are lower still, with even less chance of advancement, promotion or basic respect by coworkers and employers.

These oppressions can be breeding grounds for animosity between oppressed groups and something that some employers certainly perpetuate.

I have had the pleasure of working at feminist organizations, as well as more institutionalized places, and this is what I have noticed:

1) Workplaces where one is not subject to micromanaging or other toxicity are much less stressf,ul and contribute positively to one's overall mental health. I have found micromanaging to be more prevalent in non-feminist organizations, although I am sure that there are micromanaging 'feminist' managers, and that this would have equally devastating impacts on workers.

2) Just like other people, women can and do work cooperatively if they are treated with dignity like their work matters, and are respected for the work they do, whether it is administrating a program or cleaning toilets.

3) Hierarchical power structures, even in feminist organizations, leads to disparity in wages, power, and feelings of self-worth. I personally believe that all positions in an orgaization must be equally valued, and that this means equal pay. Now, I know the arguments (e.g. "People who have 6 years of post-secondary education should not be compensated at the same level as someone with a high school degree.") I also understand that this can cause problems for typically underfunded not for profits. But I am not convinced that we can say "everyone is equal" when one person takes home $15/hour, and another $30/hour.

4) When people are stressed and overworked, they are more likely to engage in non-cooperative and hurtful ways. Marginalized people are more likely to fill less attractive positions, with lower paycheques and fewer benefits, which can certain cause economic stress. Front line workers in anti-violence movements and other social serving agencies are often women with enormous workloads getting paid much less than if they worked for government. As well, marginalized people wait longer for promotions (if they are promoted at all) which can create (very valid) feelings of resentment and anger, thereby increasing stress levels.

5) Capitalism needs competition, not cooperation. That is, workers are encouraged to 'play the game' which often means turning their backs on their fellow workers, if not openly sabotaging them. Consensus-based, cooperative work focuses on the well-being of all, which leads to a healthier workforce.

6) Workplaces with an explicit anti-oppressive stance (and who actually walk the talk) are emotionally and physically safer for workers, and are thus overall healthier for all.

7) There is a big time problem when all the (lower paid) front line workers are women and management is male. This is true also for People of Colour, Aboriginals, persons who are LGBTTIQQ, and persons with disabilities (etc) working the front line while those who are paid more and have more status are white, cisgender, straight, and/or non-disabled. In an effort to appear more inclusive, many businesses and agencies participate in tokenism - that is, hiring someone because they belong to a marginalized group without necessarily looking at their qualifications.** Often these people are doomed to remain in lower paying jobs with little opportunity for advancement, despite their credentials, skills and experience.

** This came out wrong. (I blame white privilege and sudafed). I didn't mean to say that people weren't meeting the qualifications; indeed, people will usually need to have a gazillion times the qualifications just to get the interview. What I meant was that the qualification that matters for these so called "I want to be diverse" organizations was looking diverse, without actually committing to diversity.

8) In mixed gender agencies, groups or meetings, people with privilege continue to dominate discussions. White people interrupt People of Colour; women get less talking space than men; people with disAbilities are ignored. Many feminist organizations seek to minimize power imbalances through 'talking feathers' and rounds. I have never seen this in non-feminist/non-anti-oppressive workplaces, let alone an acknowledgement that this is a problem.

I don't want to give the impression that all women only and/or feminist organizations are healthy to work for. Indeed, just as there are men who bully, there are women who do, as well. And anyone who has worked with or for a bully, whether they are micromanagers, gossipers, quick to blame or publicly shame, passive aggressive or flat out aggressive/abusive, knows what kind of toll this has on one's mental health.

This is why I choose to work for healthy environments, even though it often means a cut in pay. However, not everyone has the privilege to choose a lower paying but more emotionally satisfying job. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons I hate capitalism so much. In order to function, capitalism needs inequality, and in turn, it breeds even more.

Subsequently, I do not believe true equality can ever be achieved under capitalism. We very much need something else.