Words Can and Do Hurt Women
There’s a lot of power in words, and awareness surrounding the way common words can and do hurt women really came to the forefront with a campaign to ban the word “bossy” when describing women. Pointing out how the word bossy is typically used as an insult to get girls and women to shut up and sit down, the campaign put a spotlight on the practice and in turn advanced female empowerment.
According to a recent article at FastCompany.com, “bossy” was just the beginning, and now “abrasive” is making the rounds, primarily in performance reviews. Women are receiving more criticism in their performance reviews than their male counterparts, and it is usually less constructive and more personal. In fact, a recent study shows that a group of women’s performance reviews included the personality criticism such as “watch your tone” and “stop being so judgmental.” Researchers also found the term “abrasive” was used 17 times to describe 13 different women, but the word never appeared in men’s reviews. These findings further the contention that if a woman is too assertive she’s seen as brusque and bitchy.
Bossy Was Just The Beginning
An article in The Guardian also reported on words typically used to demean or put a woman down. In addition to “bossy” the article found numerous other words that have come to carry a negative connotation where women are concerned. Feisty, flounce, whine, or even hysterical are never used to describe men, however, where women are concerned they are used quite frequently.
Women Need To Use Words That Empower
It’s simply not true that sticks and stones can break your bones but words will never hurt you. Women need to be nurturing and supportive to one another, so let’s pay attention and use words that empower one another. And most importantly, when we see behavior that needs correcting, lets use words build each other up, not tear each other down.
There’s a lot of power in words, and awareness surrounding the way common words can and do hurt women is on the rise. Banning bossy was just the beginning! Women need to be supportive and use words that empower one another and always use words build each other up, not tear each other down.
Articles We Thought You Might Enjoy:
- 10 Words To Use Instead of Bossy
- The One Word Men Never See In Their Performance Reviews
- Feisty, Flounce and Bossy: The Words Used To Put Women Down