Gender Norms Blake

Gender Norm Violation Project

One of the norms associated with the female gender is that females tend to be considerate rather than tough. Being tough and putting business before people is a quality expected of a male. The opposite of putting people before business and being considerate is a quality expected of a female. One of the situations this gender difference is seen in the workplace is in meetings where problems with either partners or customers are discussed. In discussing what to do about these problems, males tend to be focused on solving the problem, while females tend to add to the discussion concerns about why people might act like they do. This is an example of a situation where people have been observed acting as the gender norms would predict. To consider gender norms and what happens when they are violated, I decided to break this norm and act more like the male norm than the female norm. In a meeting where these problems were being discussed, I would normally have offered a considerate view. However, I chose to violate this by stating a tough view of the situation. The meeting situation would then give me a good opportunity to observe how people react to this norm-violating action. The following report details what I did to violate the norm, how I felt violating the norm, how people responded, and how the response made me feel. This is then used to conclude by stating what I learned from the norm-violating experience.

In the meeting, problems with a new supplier were being discussed, with people giving opinions on what should be done about the problems. One male suggested that we should just return to the old supplier. A female then suggested that we should discuss the situation with the supplier to give them...

In a normal situation, I would probably have agreed with the female. However, I took this opportunity to violate the gender norm and respond in a masculine way. I responded by saying that the supplier had let us down and that their failings should not become our problem. As well as stating this, I also said it in a masculine way. I made a specific effort not to sound as if I was emotional in a feminine way. Instead, I spoke like I was tough and focused only on the business.
My feelings while engaging in the norm-breaking behaviour were quite different from what I normally experience. I actually felt a sense of anger, as if I was angry with the supplier for letting us down, rather than considerate of their position. I also felt a sense of pride in being tough, as if I was doing something that should be rewarded. I felt quite strong and confident in making my statement, much more confident than I normally feel in offering my opinion.

The other people at the meeting reacted by showing surprise at what I was saying. One of the things I noticed is that they really paid attention. I think breaking the norm actually made them listen to what I was saying, where they might otherwise have just nodded without really hearing what I was saying. They also responded by accepting what I was saying. Both the males and females nodded at what I was saying and the general opinion was that I was right. I think breaking the norm made them pay attention, while speaking with masculine force gave the sense that I believed in what I was saying. I think it was this perception that I believed in what I was saying that made them accept my opinion. The other reaction I sensed is that they gained some respect for me. They all…