Education Doesn’t Mean Enlightened
Posted on October 24, 2008
Filed Under Careers |
You’d think that education would enlighten people and reduce things like sex discrimination in the workplace, but that’s just not the case. Many educated women in professional careers still earn considerably less than their male counterparts, or find themselves locked out of opportunities because they’re not part of the “good ol’ boys’ club.”
For instance, my sister decided to learn to play golf to help her in the business world. As a professional business banker and credit analyst, she knows that many deals are negotiated on the green — and if you don’t know how to play golf, you just miss out on those deals. Since most of her coworkers are men, and most golfers are men, it’s just another example of a “good ol’ boys’ club.”
So my sister went out, enrolled in a golf school, and got some private golf instruction – not because she was interested in any golf jobs, but because she wanted to improve her chances of succeeding at her current job. The fact that she felt she had to do this at all makes her coworkers seem like a bunch of backward hicks, yucking it up on the golf course:
Of course, banks are notorious for the glass ceiling, which prevents women from being promoted into upper management and other prestigious, high-paying positions. I’m sure I’m not the only feminist in the world who finds this offensive, but my sister is practical: In order to succeed at her job, she needs to be able to play by the rules. These rules just happen to be golf rules.
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