Just One of the Guys? No.
Remember the movie, “Just One of the Guys?” It came out in 1985 and was about a young woman in a high school who wanted to be the editor of her school newspaper. When she was denied, she posed as a male and enrolled in the rival high school and applied for the same position, determined to prove that the reason she was denied at her home school was because she was a woman. She was, indeed, appointed editor of the newspaper as a male.
Finding yourself in an industry dominated by men, it is easy to want to blend in as just one of the guys. A lot of women do not feel that they will be taken seriously unless they conform to a culture that was created and continues to be dominated by men.
But what if instead of conforming to a culture that was not designed for women you became part of a new culture that included women? A culture where the men hold the stop signs on the road while the women do the manual labor. A culture where sexual harassment and inappropriate joking are not tolerated. A culture where pink hard hats and steel-toed stilettos engender respect and admiration.
Here are a few things to consider when moving toward a more inclusive environment:
Take on leadership roles and/or talk to the people in these roles to raise awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Read the fine print. Make sure that your industry’s policies do not tolerate discrimination, bias, and harassment, and have clear reporting policies and consequences.
Get involved in the training. Speaking at schools where people are learning the trade is a great way to get the message out on the ground floor.
Create a place for other women to meet up to share their stories.
The best thing to do to change stereotypes, policies, and perceptions of women in a male-dominated field is not to become one of the guys, but to work alongside the guys to educate, inform and guide.