Women today are raised on a diet of feminism; virtue-signalling and victimhood culture. But if we want to change our thwarted status, we need to man up.
Fed the idea that ‘Western society’ is synonymic with ‘Western patriarchy’, young girls are increasingly deceived, misdirected and disheartened. Raised on a distorted model of society, we are taught that a woman’s failure is most likely owed to consciously tyrannical men, kicking her back down the dominance hierarchy.
Schools, universities and most institutions serve this banquet of victimhood without second thought. Curriculums across the West are fuelled by it. Cradled by its message, women are seduced into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Teach women they are inevitably victims, and they become inevitable victims. It’s an easy, comfortable rationale: men are historically tyrannical and men dominate society, therefore tyranny is so chiselled into society it is practically untraceable. Spoon-fed this cynicism, is it any wonder so many women do not strive for the top?
In the UK alone, the number of women holding FTSE 100 chief executive positions has fallen from seven to six, and the number of FTSE 350 chief executives has slid from 15 to 12. In the US, UK and Europe, women hold fewer than 5 per cent of the chief executive positions.
Rethinking society
Such consistent outperformance demands explanation. To really understand the gender schism, we need to rethink how we are conceptualising society, and ingest an unnerving truth. Despite relentlessly pursuing non-discrimination statutes and gender pay gap legislation, the number of women dominating top companies is still sliding. Forget the patriarchy; some other culprit is still at large.
Paralysed by PR, most companies, journalists and institutions join the blind pursuit of mainstream feminism, and sideline a vital truth. That truth? The recognition that female characteristics, on average, do not suit career dominance. Of course, discriminating bigots exist, but ultimately only one tyrant faces women — biology.
To reach high-ranking executive roles, women simply have to man up. And this should carry no negative connotation. To ‘man up’ is to alter our mentality, making a conscious effort to adopt conventionally masculine characteristics — if we want top jobs in male-dominated fields, that is. That’s because male characteristics, on average, befit certain career hierarchies more than female characteristics, providing a smoother climb.
On average, compared to men, women are more agreeable; susceptible to neuroticism; family-orientated and vulnerable to emotion. These proclivities often mean that woman do not reach the executive summit. Businesses need profit, and profit is nurtured by assertiveness, resilience to criticism, and sacrifice for success. This is certainly not to say that no women typify success, or to say that men cannot be nurturing, acquiescent, or emotional. It works both ways. If a man seeks a career in a profession dominated by women, say as a childcare worker, veterinarian or educator, he would certainly benefit from higher agreeableness, tenderness and empathy. Overlap exists, breeding female Prime Ministers, CEOs and business masterminds. But averages matter. And, overall, the biological differences have magnitude.
So, women can relievedly shed their victimhood status. We are not institutionally oppressed, not in today’s relatively liberal, democratic West, anyway. Consider the finding that men with disagreeable personalities out-earn men with agreeable personalities by around 18 per cent, according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Nobody would claim this is symptomatic of patriarchy. With men scoring higher in Assertiveness, Intellect and Openness to Ideas, and women outperforming in Openness to Feelings, biology offers a substantial explanation for male executive dominance.
A positive antidote
Women are being force-fed the wrong idea. Feminism is a losing game, disempowering women by rendering them dependent on a defeatist rhetoric, whilst isolating men, driving them down a relentless guilt trip. Young women are constantly internalising the wrong diagnosis, jumping to blame men. But a faulty diagnosis leads to the wrong prescription, and the cycle continues. Now, with free, readily available contraception; sanitary advancements; liberalised divorce laws and a labyrinth of anti-discrimination laws across the West, all that stands in our way is our own outlook.
When we give biological differences their credit, a better solution reveals itself. Instead of relying on quick-fix quotas, a somewhat flimsy plaster for a gaping wound, it’s time to change gender norms. Unnerving, yes. Impossible, no. Granted, for a while some women might lament their victimhood, and struggle to contend with disagreeable men, but eventually, the message will become common sense once again. To dominate a field, adopt the characteristics that complement that field. Become more disagreeable; exert more confidence; and tell yourself you are a victor, not a victim. Shed the self-pity and work harder.
Women can be more open to ideas; can become more assertive and can dedicate more hours, if they want to succeed. That is the positive message we should weave within school curriculums, embed into company mantras, and whisper to our young children in bed at night.
For many, to criticise feminism is to flirt with fascism. Yet, the core of fascism itself is to exclude debate. If we continue to bubble-wrap feminism away from scrutiny, we allow it to broadcast toxic values. The reality is, men and women are different, but we can embrace new characteristics, and learn from one another. Differences should not stop ambitious women, but drive their motivation. Time to send a new message, teaching young girls to man up when they must, and reject any plate of victimhood served to them. Time for a brand new recipe for success.
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