by Kisha Bennett

Created on: September 09, 2008

Yes indeed they do and the reason is probably as complex and as old as time itself when I think about it. From the beginning and all throughout history women have had to work harder at whatever they do. And even though today we are in the 21st century (at least we were the last time I checked), things have really not changed. Yes, it is true that more women have joined the workforce and now have more privileges in many areas, but the workload has not decreased in any way, shape or form. A woman still has to prove herself in many ways and that can contribute to making her workload just a bit harder. It is true however that most of the times it is not the literal workload in itself that may be the issue, perhaps some women work just as hard as their male counterparts and vice versa, but when it comes to labor and leadership positions, mentally and emotionally women really have to dish it out.

The reason in many ways has to do with perception itself. A woman who works hard and I mean really hard with drive and determination not to mention ambition can be viewed in a negative light. And unfortunately this perception can be reflected not only by men but also by other women themselves. Unfortunately this perception is not imaginary and loaded comments with a bit of backstabbing, including unflattering statements and name calling, can be quite common. Even if it is not said directly to her face, she may feel the negativity surrounding her area of work. This impacts not just her output but her input as well in several ways. Now she has to think before she acts, consider her options, weigh the possibilities and the outcome to make sure she gives more than one hundred percent in all she does.

This puts an incredible strain on women and hence makes their workload more difficult than it needs to be. And of course adding to this is gaining the respect of her workmates, resisting undesired sexual advances and retaining her femininity without forgetting who and what she is. An employer or employee, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife (if she is married), a girlfriend, a fianc, a sweetheart, a darling, a washwoman, a cook, a cleaner, a fixer upper, a shoe shiner, a one-hundred-uses-and-still-some-more female that at the end of the day can still manage to pull one more rabbit out of her hat of surprises. And if that is not working harder... then I don't know what is.

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