Did women ruin the workplace? The dangerous irony of The New York Times’ viral opinion piece

“Did women ruin the workplace?”

This was the question put forward by The New York Times, which, no surprise, quickly went viral. The main thrust of the argument was that women are gossipy and overly emotional, and so, as they take over more and more businesses, they are a threat to the pursuit of truth and innovation.

To say that women from the across the globe shot back is an understatement. Speaking to host Samantha Selinger-Morris on The Morning Edition podcast, senior writer Jacqueline Maley delves into so-called “conservative feminism” and the political and cultural forces that have led to this moment.

Click the player or watch the video below to listen to the full episode, or read on for an edited extract of the conversation.

Maley: There is no doubt that women and men behave in different ways and have different strengths, right? And there’s a lot of studies and a lot of research that bears that out, not to mention human observation.

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But emotion in this context seems to be shorthand for the kind of emotionability that is… probably more common to women... signs of emotional distress, crying in the workplace. I would definitely bet that more women cry in the workplace than men cry in the workplace. Open distress, worry and anxiety, those kinds of things.

But when we talk about emotion, we somehow discount male expressions of emotion, which tend towards rage, anger, open hostility, bullying, tantrum-throwing. These are all things that, I mean, I’ve been in the workplace now, in this workplace, I think, for like, two decades, which makes me feel very old, but I remember when workplaces were much less feminised.

Selinger-Morris: What were they like, Jac? I recall too, but I’m just interested in your recollection.

Maley: Sexual harassment was rife… displays of open male aggression were common and deeply upsetting and difficult to work with. And I would say that this is something that men would also complain of or observe alongside women.

I think the feminisation of the workforce for whatever you make of it, has made for a more peaceful and civil workforce, and the kinds of things that Helen Andrews doesn’t like – sex discrimination legislation, anti-sexual harassment laws – are exactly the things that have made workplaces much more civil, much more decent, run in a much more orderly way that actually allows for greater productivity.

To listen to the full episode with Maley, who unpacks the danger wrapped up in the conversation and the irony considering the United States’ transformation into the manosphere, click here.

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