Just One of the Guys
` In the book, Just One of the Guys, Kristen Schilt brings awareness to the persistent struggle of gender inequality in the workplace. To undercover these disparities, one may assume that Schilt would interview each gender and ask them to report how they believe they are being treated compared to the other gender. However, this book gives a unique perspective from transgender men and women, which allows understanding from a person who has had a first-hand account of how treatment differs based on gender. Schilt argues that even though a transitioned man or woman are both under this umbrella of the transgender community, their experiences in the workplace are highly different. By receiving data from interviews of transgender …show more content…
It was stated that after Ben had given one of his speeches, a faculty member approached him and said that his work was much better than his sisters. Clearly, they did not realize that it was not his sister, it was him as a female prior to the transition. This represents the disadvantage women have solely based on their biological differences from males. Ben and Barbra are the same person, with the same education and knowledge, but Ben’s work is better because he is seen as a man now. The natural difference schema is an explanation for unequal outcomes, such as gender inequality in an attempt to create a cognitive map to make sense of the world. It tries to get us to believe that men and women are biologically different from birth and therefore men are born superior to women. This then allows for society to treat men and women differently in the workplace, because the natural difference schema guides their interactions and behaviors with other individuals. The natural difference schema is very strong and almost impossible to challenge. We would think that a transgender male or female would challenge this idea of the gender binary and the schema, but instead we forget people’s past. If one can clearly pass as one gender or the other, you’ll be put into the gender binary and treated …show more content…
An open transgender publicly transitions from female to male in their life to where their coworkers may have worked with them as their prior gender. A stealth transgender doesn’t make aware to others that they are transgender. Most would assume that being an open transgender would have less advantages in the work place, because coworkers know that the gender they are portraying is different from what their biological features may suggest. Surprisingly, statistics show that two thirds of both open and stealth transmen report receiving advantages at work after transitioning. The advantages of a woman transitioning into a man are all supported by the socially structured stereotypes that male are superior. The advantages these transmen noticed could be categorized into four different areas of improved treatment. These categories are gaining competency and authority, gaining respect and recognition, gaining body privilege, and gaining economic opportunities and status. Roger, who openly transitioned, talked about how people assumed that he was more qualified and knew more about the products than his boss did, whom of which was a female. This proves the deeply entrenched stereotype about masculinity and authority. Transmen in the work place also reported that their ideas even though the same as they would be as a female, were taken seriously and
` In the book, Just One of the Guys, Kristen Schilt brings awareness to the persistent struggle of gender inequality in the workplace. To undercover these disparities, one may assume that Schilt would interview each gender and ask them to report how they believe they are being treated compared to the other gender. However, this book gives a unique perspective from transgender men and women, which allows understanding from a person who has had a first-hand account of how treatment differs based on gender. Schilt argues that even though a transitioned man or woman are both under this umbrella of the transgender community, their experiences in the workplace are highly different. By receiving data from interviews of transgender …show more content…
It was stated that after Ben had given one of his speeches, a faculty member approached him and said that his work was much better than his sisters. Clearly, they did not realize that it was not his sister, it was him as a female prior to the transition. This represents the disadvantage women have solely based on their biological differences from males. Ben and Barbra are the same person, with the same education and knowledge, but Ben’s work is better because he is seen as a man now. The natural difference schema is an explanation for unequal outcomes, such as gender inequality in an attempt to create a cognitive map to make sense of the world. It tries to get us to believe that men and women are biologically different from birth and therefore men are born superior to women. This then allows for society to treat men and women differently in the workplace, because the natural difference schema guides their interactions and behaviors with other individuals. The natural difference schema is very strong and almost impossible to challenge. We would think that a transgender male or female would challenge this idea of the gender binary and the schema, but instead we forget people’s past. If one can clearly pass as one gender or the other, you’ll be put into the gender binary and treated …show more content…
An open transgender publicly transitions from female to male in their life to where their coworkers may have worked with them as their prior gender. A stealth transgender doesn’t make aware to others that they are transgender. Most would assume that being an open transgender would have less advantages in the work place, because coworkers know that the gender they are portraying is different from what their biological features may suggest. Surprisingly, statistics show that two thirds of both open and stealth transmen report receiving advantages at work after transitioning. The advantages of a woman transitioning into a man are all supported by the socially structured stereotypes that male are superior. The advantages these transmen noticed could be categorized into four different areas of improved treatment. These categories are gaining competency and authority, gaining respect and recognition, gaining body privilege, and gaining economic opportunities and status. Roger, who openly transitioned, talked about how people assumed that he was more qualified and knew more about the products than his boss did, whom of which was a female. This proves the deeply entrenched stereotype about masculinity and authority. Transmen in the work place also reported that their ideas even though the same as they would be as a female, were taken seriously and