by I William

Created on: April 02, 2009

Men and women are inherently different. Aside from the obvious physical characteristics, their behaviors and thought processes are different. It's quite interesting that many individuals believe that in a working environment, these differences magically fade or become irrelevant. This is an unfortunate misconception. Obviously there are always exceptions, as each situation is unique.

Studies have shown with undeniable data, in support of the theory, which men in general, think about sex, multiple times throughout any given day. Men are visual and physical creatures, allowing their senses to manipulate their thoughts and behaviors. Women are emotional creatures by nature, allowing their emotions to manipulate their thoughts. Argument to this is moot. It is what it is, so to speak. As a society, we recognize this. But in the work place we pretend it does not exist.

The workplace is often called "a man's world", and for all intensive purposes, it is. For many reasons, including pay scale, opportunity for advancement, and even perception of expectation. Although, laws and policies have been created to eliminate inequality in the workplace, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can be done regarding the perceptions and thought processes of those involved.

In the following paragraphs, I will share with you my personal experiences of being a woman in a workplace dominated by men.

I entered the automotive industry as a laborer. With no higher education and little work experience, I was quite pleased to be employed. The realities of my existence there soon became apparent. These realities took the form of comments with sexual undertone, obvious interest and attention, stares and "wandering eyes" from my male co-workers. This was not to go unnoticed by my female co-workers. Much to my disappointment in my proverbial sisters, I was often sneered at, gossiped about and generally dismissed as a person of any real value. For the record, I did not dress any differently then any other female at my workplace. I did not behave any differently than any other female at my workplace. I learned to accept this for what it was.

I was promoted to a managerial position, with obvious raise in pay. I earned the position through hard work, going above and beyond, exceeding expectation and concentrating on the task at hand. But many often questioned my promotion and attributed it to my gender and physical appearance. This incorrect assumption, forced me to work even harder, in an effort

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