Managerial Tips from Dolly Parton Part 2
Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 movie and the movie’s hit theme song were popular in the 70s. As we discussed in Part 1, Parton’s song, like an anthem, still riles up working women today.
2023 saw the reversal of Roe vs Wade. Some states quickly jumped on the bandwagon to pass restrictive laws about a woman’s right to choose what medical choices she and her doctor make. A citizen and a practicing Catholic, I cannot fathom how my religious beliefs should affect another woman’s ability to choose what happens to her body. Remember, the US was established on the premise and value of religious freedom!
For more than 3000 years, women have lived under a system of patriarchy. This has led to the dominance of, and pressure applied to, the importance of masculine points of view over feminine points of view.
Over the course of my invigorating career, I've worked with many great men. I've also seen the negative effects of the patriarchy on women in the workplace, and in society at large. Unfortunately, patriarchal views have been internalized by women. Misogyny is now internalized in women’s DNA, or at least in some women’s DNA. By giving women the right to choose and the right to be treated equally in the workplace (i.e. receive the same wages as their male counterparts), we allow American women to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with men.
Psychologist Carl Jung said that both men and women had both animus and anima tendencies in their psyche: Both-And. Wouldn’t it be better if we were problem-solving using both perspectives? Recently, we had the resignations of two female Presidents of prestigious universities. These occurrences were the result of hearings on Capitol Hill where complex, nuanced questions were asked and the questioner brought forth cheap “sound byte” answers.
Women and men, Dolly Parton can’t fight this brave battle alone. Let’s step up. Let’s fight all forms of misogyny, whether it be internalized or systemic misogyny. Let’s teach our boys and girls, and our men and women, what equality looks like. Let’s make the workplace and the world a better place.