Tuesday, May 24, 2005

What Women Want

I was just reading an article about women in the workplace and a recent study that showed that they cared little for competition. And the article also stated that it was the wiser choice. I had to agree, in part. It was another one of those articles that made it (competition) appear to be a male/female specific trait and it really isn’t. Competition is a function of both culture and of personality type, not gender.

One statement, "Even in tasks where they do well, women seem to shy away from competition, whereas men seem to enjoy it too much," And another quote…“For two decades, academics crusading for equality in the workplace have been puzzled by surveys showing that women are at least as satisfied with their jobs and their pay as men are. This is known as "the paradox of the contented female worker."” These make it clear that the authors of the study have focused on gender and have ignored type and culture.

Here’s another “…there will always be some jobs that women, on average, will not want as badly as men do. Some of the best-paying jobs require crazed competition and the willingness to risk big losses - going broke, never seeing your family and friends, dying young.”

And as I read the article and thought about it, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the Bible and the book of Ecclesiastes. Verse after verse confirms the foolishness of those who live to compete.

Ecc 4:8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he has neither son nor brother; yet there is no end to all his labor; and his eyes are not satisfied with riches; and he says , For whom do I labor and take good from my soul? This is also vanity. Yes, it is an evil business.

No comments:

Post a Comment