Sugar Coated Equality

"All people are equal, but men more so than the other"

In a society that pledges to be gender neutral and equal opportunities, what does it mean if my senior mgmt and top people are all males? Oh alright, fine, we do have maybe 3 top executives who are women, but proportionately speaking, especially if we take into account the whole entire group, the figures are dismally male dominated, if not male overrun. Are we really equal opportunities or more likely, perhaps we are just make-believe. We sugar coat to convince ourselves that we are when in reality, women at work knows, it is NOT SO.

After all, *snappish tells me that in her organisation, the men are paid way way more and given promotions way way faster. Likewise, *witchy, despite her 1st class honors, tells me that the guys are still paid more.

Okay. Fine. If we accept that fundamental truth, which yours truly assumes we do since we carry on working and going on as if its a fact of life - I don't see women shouting foul all across the streets or in the press, do you?

So the question is, why? Why are men always in higher positions and faster? Why isthe top disportionately men while the bottom is disportionately supported by women? Is it because we are gender discriminate? Or women are less competent? Or have women been so conditioned to accept this fact since young? And before you start calling me names like feminist, let me first say, I'm not. Not in the way of bra-burning feminists of the earlier days or the let's strive to be better than men moderate feminists of the new age.

No no. Yours truly simply has a highly developed sense of fair play. So if a woman can do better than a man, no reason why she shouldn't be promoted. And to be frank, yours truly usually doesn't even think abt this matter much. But lately, as my so-impt-but-carelessly-completed appraisal form for confirmation of end of probation is due to be submitted, yours truly took stock of the organisation she is in. And wow, the facts sorta scream out loud.

Whose fault is it? When our organisation is top heavy with men, should we blame the society, the organisation or the men? Or horrors of horrors, the women?

Perhaps all, perhaps none.

After all, it takes more than one century to build a society. And perhaps more than a decade at best, to change it. So fundamentally, are we built by men and so, men are now enjoying the fruits of their labor? Or have we been so conditioned to our social and formal roles that we take it for granted?

Is this normal? Is there a great big organisation that is homegrown that are women dominated on the top, and I don't mean strictly in fields of like cosmetics or women-products. Because fact is, many such organisations are still male run.

And before yours truly conclude with her musing and rambling crap, let me first say that moi does not want or aim to have total gender equally because fact is, yours truly likes some man-women inequality where gentlemanly chivalry is still expected.

But perhaps this is just a hint of my social conditioning? But that's even more scary. Assuming that yours truly is a well-educated (I did do uni after all, even if it was crap) and not-too-dumb woman and I think like that. What chance does feminism or equal opportunities really have here?

Sheer