Stanton went on to write This is the negro s hour. Are we sure that he once entrenched in his inalienable rights may not be an added power to hold us at bay “DEPENDING HEAVILY ON TOKEN WOMEN COULD BE PROBLEMATIC” The rhetoric surrounding Obama vs. Clinton was reminiscent of that dynamic Giddings said. We keep falling into the same trap again and again. Giddings also pointed out that initiatives to help disenfranchised groups often focus on either race or gender. For example Obama last year launched My.
Brother s Keeper an initiative to create opportunities for boys and young men of color. There is no equivalent initiative for girls of color. How can we miss the fact that girls have trouble too Giddings asked. In a Q A after Giddings Chinese Overseas America Number Data talk a black participant acknowledged her personal struggle with the race gender divide. I still feel I have to choose between working for white women and working for black men she said. Gender Relations In The Workplace Sessions at the symposium focused on bridging race bridging generations bridging the global divide among women and ways in which gender imbalance can fuel dysfunctional relationships among women in the workplace. In each experts presented the findings of extensive studies. Ely discussed a line of research in which she interviewed women at several law firms noting both positive and negative interactions among peers and supervisors. the consistent mediating factor was whether the women considered their gender to be a detriment to success. In short women who didn t feel hindered by their gender at work tended to have healthier workplace relationships with each other than those who did.
Other presenters challenged the common notion that organizations can fuel gender equality by placing a few token women in the top ranks—assuming they will reach out to help other women break through the glass ceiling. If this solution is working it s moving at a glacial pace said Michelle Duguid an assistant professor at Washington University s Olin Business School who conducted research with Denise Lewin Lloyd an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.