The Myth Of The Ideal Worker Analysis

Improved Essays
“The Myth of the Ideal Worker” is a study on the effectiveness of different methods often promoted by various sources that claim they will help a person excel and rise in the ranks of their corporate environment. A few of the tactics examined are getting training through experience and formal seminars, seeking advice from peers and colleagues, and scanning for opportunities inside and outside your current company. Of all nine tactics mentioned, only two have shown to be useful for women in the workplace – and despite the equal efforts of both men and women in the workplace, women are still lagging behind men by 10% in satisfaction with their salary and career position.
Means that would work for a man to move up the corporate ladder would not,
…show more content…
She is a proponent for seeking mentorship and forming bonds with those in greater positions than your own, and making your voice heard. These are supported by the study in which it was found that the only methods that helped women to succeed in the workplace were seeking powerful people, and making your achievements known. That is only 2 out of 9 tactics advocated for by so-called experts on advancing your career. Interestingly, making your achievements know was shown to not be helpful for men – further support for the notion that men and women must approach Corporate America from different perspective and use different techniques to get ahead in their respective …show more content…
I personally have a goal of being a pioneer in my field for my generation, and will be making many efforts to expand the reaches of my career to many parts of our modern life. In order to do this, I must be strategic in the way I choose a position and ensure my own advancement. I will be mindful of all opportunities, but choose wisely when to changing within my career. Finding a worthwhile job that I can see myself staying in, after I earn my MA, is a crucial step. Just accepting anything will not be helpful, as I will most likely end up moving jobs in the long run and diminishing my chances for more growth. It is also important that I be more vocal and make certain I am considered a valued member of whatever team I may end up on. For this, I will make sure my achievements and desire for growth are recognized by both my peers and those in higher positions, and always ask for what I know I deserve in terms of position and

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    “Workers” by Richard Rodriguez was about his experience as a construction worker. He noticed there were many different races that did construction work. Also, how he was dissatisfied how Mexicans were treated. A person that does labor work can be just as educated as a business worker. He lived a very successful life by learning from his parents.…

    • 58 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many women entering the workforce want something more than just a job that just pays the bills. They want a fulfilling, challenging career that is more than just a job. However, it can be a daunting prospect of entering a field that is male dominant. Women have come along way in opportunities available and equality, but many stereotypes still remain. If anyone can advise women concerning career choice, education, training, or for advancing in an established career, then Susan McGalla is the person to ask.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Theryn Meyer identifies as a South African Canadian, though she expresses hesitancy about which aspect of this identity ought to be given precedence. In the summer of 2011, her family decided to move to Canada from Paarl, a city in the Western Cape province of South Africa where she had been raised. She was in high school when she immigrated with her mother, father, and younger brother to Dawson Creek, a small town in northern British Columbia. While the decision to move was not easy, she regards immigrating as having had a largely positive impact on her family, and herself personally as a transgender woman. Her story illustrates how Canada is often perceived as a place of opportunity for immigrant families, economically as well as socially.…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For over thirty years women have been fighting to work their way up to professional ladder; yet in 2009 only 6.3% of corporate top earners were women. In her article “Swagger Like Us” Ann Friedman explores three solutions on how women can become high achieving individuals. Clay Shirky believes that the best way is for women to act like a man; being aggressive and crossing gender lines will allow them to be taken seriously. He states that colleges should offer a class to teach women self-advancement, as they do with self-defense. By being assertive a woman can make strides towards serious workplace gains, for example demanding a raise or a better title.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This research paper will critique Billing’s essay on the suitability of women in managerial jobs, which is considered a male norm. The critique will focus upon the data collection methods, literature review (secondary data collection), primary citations and the usage of theoretical concepts inherited from literature. Billing conducts a qualitative research interviewing 20 Swedish and Danish female managers, mostly mothers, on their journey and experiences being women managers. As a basis of study, Billing conducts a literature review for related work on male norms and the congruency between jobs and bodies in particularly gender, debating both notions. She argues against the generalization of male norm in management and calls for a more complex approach to understanding the experience of women in management.…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Men are often hired more because they are men (Williams, 1992), and they are often given managerial and administrative positions, that usually provide a higher pay than before, over women (Williams, 1992). However, as a result of the stereotypes surrounding masculinity, being in a female dominated career can lead to a high level of discrimination, that is almost on par to what women face in male dominated careers (Williams, 1992). When men enter these female careers, they can be penalized if they stay in that same occupation for too long. The men experience disappointment from their bosses who think that they are not taking the initiative to be promoted, and show a low-level of motivation, or other people that they meet start to think that they had trouble landing a “real career,” (Williams 1992).…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the article “4 Women’s Issues That Haven't Changed Since 1911” by Julie Zeilinger expresses the main issues about women in the past decade and the problems that still linger today. The author demonstrates four topics about women's issues that have not changed, one being “Men dominate many of the most esteemed professional fields and get paid more for their work”, which shows women are still being unrecognized in many workforces. The second issue that is expressed in the article is “work stress disproportionately impacts women” and for a women to succeed in the workplace by the expense of their physical well-being. Another issue would be “The freedom the workplace supposedly offers women sometimes doesn’t feel so free at all”, when a workplace…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid, there is much discussion of men and women's roles in the workplace. Sandberg tells the story of her grandmothers determination to get an education when it wasn’t viewed as important for women to do so. This motivated Sandberg to attend college, where she found that women believed they could achieve anything. Women assumed they would be successful in a career -in a professional setting- as well as in their own home. Sadly, things did not evolve as quickly as Sandberg hoped they would for equality in the workplace.…

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Modern Day Gender Roles

    • 2440 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Ann Morrison published a book, titled Breaking the Glass Ceiling, in which she describes the problem: the glass ceiling is a barrier "so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy. " From their vantage point on the corporate ladder, women can see the high-level corporate positions but are kept from ‘reaching the top’ (qtd. in Breaking the Glass Ceiling 190). Although women make up half of the workforce in the United States, on average, women are still only earning 77% of what the average working man makes.…

    • 2440 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Due to the different behavior men and women have, bosses and managers give special treatment to their employees, specially men. This has caused men to have easy access to higher positions, and deny the opportunity for women to rise to higher positions. The invisible barrier that prevents women from rising to the top is known as the glass ceiling (Tannen,1990). One of the parts that stuck this author the most from the glass ceiling is that bosses don’t really give credit to the person that works more. Most, of the time women have good ideas, work hard, and help their coworkers, but their work is rarely appreciated by the manager or owner.…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In a society where men are expected to make the tough decisions and women are expected to follow, it often seems difficult for a woman to be as successful in her career compared to her male peers. For most of history it has been expected of women to remain in the home, only concerned with domestic issues. It is typically harder for a woman than a man to be hired into higher level positions in the workplace although women are just as capable. Through Madam Secretary: A Memoir, Madeleine Albright proves the importance of women having the confidence to speak up for themselves and pursue careers in male-dominated fields. Madam Secretary: A Memoir follows the journey of Madeleine Albright from her childhood in Czeckloslovakia to becoming the first female United States Secretary of State.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, it is possible that an unconscious bias exists, and this barrier could stop women’s progress. The way to tackle this might be to train HR employees in their possible unconscious biased way of thinking. Furthermore, encouraging females to apply for management roles and holding business leaders accountable, could further progression. How does gender stratification harm both men and women?…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While the world is developing and borders between countries are becoming less prominent, it is important to focus on the social issues globalization brings forward. In many countries, it is common for women’s voices to get lost in the crowd. During this time of transformation and global efforts, it is pertinent to remember the unique challenges women all over the globe face daily as a result. Aided by the structure of contemporary globalization, sex trafficking is an increasing problem across the globe. Despite the powerful forces that work against sex trafficking, most affected women rebel to hardships or unwanted cultural, social, or economic situations and seek out a better way of life.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Crowne Group Case Study

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages

    After understanding the problems with in this case study, I found that most of the problems are due to the improper communication and willingness of change in the organizational culture. Susan Carter is a new partner at Crowne Group. Crowne Group one New York's prestigious consulting firm. She has been working for Crowne Group for 12 years and happens to be one of four women that are partners within this organization. Susan is one of the hardest workers with the organization.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace From a young age, society teaches children how to see things differently than they really are. Prejudice and discrimination are carried through lineage, and over time are passed through generations of people who hold the same ideals because of their false influences. Since the beginning of the 19th century, society has taught women that they are of lesser value in comparison to men. In the workplace, women are discriminated against because of their gender, and are lead to believe that they do not deserve what is rightfully a man’s career. The hours and wages women receive do not match what their male co-workers gain, despite them having the same job.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays