10 Comments

  1. pmartinez48

    Very interesting paper, one that I can truly relate to. In your paper you stated,”Women only make up 4% of Fortune 500 CEO’s, meaning that
    men make up a whopping 96% of all CEO’s, and only represent 19% of congress.” I honestly cannot even believe that number is so incredibly low. Us women need to step it up! You also state that, “Inequality for women is not only prevalent in the workplace but even in sports, only 23% of all head coaches are female.” When I was the head tennis coach there were only 2 of us that were women head coaches in the entire athletic department. This put a lot of pressure on me. Fortunately, my team was able to win 3 state titles and that alone was a huge accomplishment. As a mother of a daughter, my hope is to instill in her that she can do whatever she wants regardless if it is deemed a “mans” job or not.

  2. acortez21

    This topic is one that I am very passionate about. Women have come a long way, but there is still work to be done. As a mother of three daughters I instill in them that women need to empower women. Historically, power has been distributed among the sexes and males have dominated that number. Gender equality is an issue that needs to see CHANGE. Women need to advocate for women and work to make a difference. Unfortunately, women have to work harder and smarter then men to be recognized in the workplace and in the world of sports.

  3. jzibluk

    Really interesting paper, though I wanted to ask a question. In your paper, you say that men want to remain on top and feel threatened by women in the workplace; Is it really a men vs woman issue in that regard, or is it a man vs everyone else? Is it the man specifically focused on the sex of his peer, or is it more an individual trying to remain in control? Obviously as a man I have very different experiences with this, and, from personal experience, I can say guys are naturally competitive and don’t like anyone taking over what they’re doing. You make some really compelling points here, and I’d be interested in learning more of the psychology behind it all. Well done!
    -John

  4. ovanhook

    I completely agree with the fact that women tend to have more emotions than men do. I think this is a good thing rather than a bad thing. Women tend to be more compassionate about things in their lives. As a coach, I try to relate to the girls as much as possible. I know that somedays the girls just need an off day because I can tell that they are overwhelmed and stressed. I think women in power have to portray a “bitchy” attitude to earn respect from peers, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Good paper Liz!

  5. afragoso

    I really liked this topic, it’s something that has come to more light in recent years which is amazing. It’s rather interesting to see that men are apprehensive about women leaders. Also, I do agree women can be more emotional but it allows us to be empathetic and understanding, in my opinion, which is for the greater good.

  6. mwillis2

    Elizabeth,
    Perhaps in the eyes of some of our fellow Americans, this idea may seem quaint and largely unrealistic, but inspired by your idea of human biology, it would be phenomenal if a married couple, a group, or a segment of society were to make maximum use of each person’s (of which ever gender) strengths to augment the others’ weaknesses. Women will give birth to the next generation and care for it more, at least compared to men. Logically the child rearing portion could just as well be performed by men. In many cases, I believe the feelings of wanting to nurture children on a daily basis can belong to a man. But, in our American society (any human society on Earth?) we are not raised that way, and our economics doesn’t yet work that way. Because of biology women are penalized (in general) for having babies and being willing to forgo a better job or pay for the joy of rearing them. This also doesn’t have to be this way. Perhaps this is where government could step in to maximize the potential of every citizen by planning for the betterment of all instead of rigidly adhering to supposed economic “truths” like “pure” capitalism is better than anything else.

  7. mlopez100

    Elizabeth,

    I was very interested in reading your paper when your shared your topic. I was not disappointed. It still boggles the mind that women continue to fight for equality even at this day and age. I agree with your statement that, “Being treated equally is the main challenge that females currently face in the workplace..” (p. 3). Having five nieces of my own, I stress the importance of an education and the importance of being strong, independent women. Of course the frustration is that although they work hard to get into a place of position, they will still face challenges due to the fact that they are women. It was surprising to learn that “women only make up 4% of Fortune 500 CEO’s” (p. 5). Being in a class with the majority being women who are already or on the way to being in leadership roles, I think we are on our way to doing great things like the women before us have.As we continue to pave the ways for the future generations and continue to demand equality and respect, we will get closer to the breaking down those roadblocks.

  8. aboone

    It is indeed mind-boggling that character traits shared by men and by women are viewed so differently when they are in positions of power. For example, a firm, directive leadership style may be viewed in a male manager as being assertive, while a woman would be viewed as bossy. It is equally surprising to me that there seems to be a double-standard when it comes to coaches in sports. It seems that no one bats an eye at a woman’s team having a male coach, but the idea of a woman coaching a men’s team is not something that has even reached the realm of possibility at the highest competitive levels.

    Your research findings remind me of a conversation I had recently with some friends who expressed frustration that when minorities are appointed to higher organizational positions, people comment “but they are so young,” regardless of what the individual’s qualifications may be. This is, sadly, a common excuse people offer when they are really articulating a discomfort (either conscious or subconscious) with a person of a different ethnicity taking on a role of power. It seems to me that similar things happen when women assume leadership roles…people voice other reasons why they are “not qualified” (she is too emotional, she is also raising kids), that have nothing to do with a woman’s professional abilities, but really are an expression a discomfort with her gender. It is unfortunate, and I am not really sure of what the solution is, other than to try to be aware of assumptions that we make about people, and if we are truly looking at their qualifications in relation to the job being asked of them.

    With that said, I think you raise excellent points about women gaining ground, and the need for women’s continuing perseverance. I also think you may enjoy this article I recently read, as it pertains directly to your topic. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/16/how-far-can-becky-hammon-go-in-the-nba

  9. cboggess2

    Elizabeth,

    This was an interesting read but also informative for myself being a women’s basketball coach. I had never been in women athletics until 2016. I had come from coaching only boys and playing with only boys. Since then I have come to the harsh understanding that women are truly not treated equal or even given credit for the skills and accomplishments. Throughout your paper you talked about title IX. This was important step in women’s athletics because it gave them the same opportunities as men programs. However this isn’t enough to shut down inequalities that go on. UConn Women’s Basketball program might be the best dynasty in all of college athletics. But since they aren’t men they aren’t seen this way. They are just a “good women’s team.” This is frustrating because I know that most of these women would dominate a men’s game on most levels.

    “Being treated equally is the main challenge that females face currently in the work place…” You also mentioned that only 23% of all head coaches are female. I think that these are unfair odds against people that know the game just as much as anyone does.

    This paper truly shed a great light on women in the work force and athletics and was a topic of that need to be discussed.

  10. cbriseno4

    I was genuinely intrigued by your paper and fully stand behind what you have stated. Some statements that really stood out to me were:
    -“title IX was implemented in the 70’s to give women gender equality in education and athletics, still, women’s sports are not sees as equal to men’s sports.”
    It’s very rare that you see the AT&T center packed for a silver stars game, even if its the championship, rather than a spurs game. Men sports are talked about 90% of the time on TV rather than women. Have things really changed?
    Another point:
    -“women states that it’s easier for men to get top level coaching positions, and even when women get the top coaching jobs, they are being paid less for doing the same jobs as male coaches.”
    I find this extremely difficult to read because I know that once in my life time, I would like to be a head boys varsity basketball coach and the chances of that happening would be slim to none. Not that the money has anything to do with why I want to be in the coaching profession, but the unfairness of pay is something that is over looked today.

    Lastly,
    -“inequality for women is not only prevalent in the workplace but even in sports, only 23% of all head coaches are female, Teresa Phillips is the only female to ever coach a Division I NCAA men’s basketball team, so why are female coaches so underrepresented, specifically when it comes to coaching a male sport?”
    This is a very good question to ask. You see many male coaches coaching women, but rarely do you ever see females coaching men. There are things men don’t know how to handle with women just as there are for women coaching men, so why is there such a big difference in ratio? I think it is a break through that Becky Hammon (First female assistant coach in the NBA -Spurs) is going to be the first female to be interviewed for the NBA Bucks Head coaching position. Hopefully with this step of action, it will pave the way for other females in the coaching association.

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