34 min
Sometimes Invisibility Isn't A Superpower Battle Tactics For Your Sexist Workplace
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- Society & Culture
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There's a phenomenon researchers have observed among many women in the workplace that they call "intentional invisibility". It happens because for many women, they are both aware that they must be visible at work to get ahead - own their ideas, speak up, use their voices - while also worrying that they'll be penalized for being too visible. For being too assertive, or too intimidating, or just...too much. (Decades of research on both racial and gender bias in American workplaces indicates this is a valid concern and a real danger, btw.) So these women choose the path of less potential conflict. They shrink themselves so they're not penalized for being too big. They intentionally choose invisibility.
Angela 'Merk' Nguyen has been told she's too much - at her job and even before that. But instead of shrinking and becoming invisible, she went in the opposite direction. She stayed visible. She spoke up to people in her personal life and professional life. And she tells Jeannie and Eula why - even though it wasn't easy to keep speaking up - she'll never go the invisibility route.
GUEST: Angela 'Merk' Nguyen is LV, or Little Voice, on the awesome podcast for tweens Ooh! You're In Trouble. For five seasons, she was the co-host and co-producer of the podcast Adult ISH. And soon, you'll hear her voice work all over kids' animated films! Follow her @ultraraduberfad on Instagram and Twitter.
We love making this podcast, but it costs money to keep going! Help us keep the show alive - become a patron and get all kinds of special thank-you goodies.
There's a phenomenon researchers have observed among many women in the workplace that they call "intentional invisibility". It happens because for many women, they are both aware that they must be visible at work to get ahead - own their ideas, speak up, use their voices - while also worrying that they'll be penalized for being too visible. For being too assertive, or too intimidating, or just...too much. (Decades of research on both racial and gender bias in American workplaces indicates this is a valid concern and a real danger, btw.) So these women choose the path of less potential conflict. They shrink themselves so they're not penalized for being too big. They intentionally choose invisibility.
Angela 'Merk' Nguyen has been told she's too much - at her job and even before that. But instead of shrinking and becoming invisible, she went in the opposite direction. She stayed visible. She spoke up to people in her personal life and professional life. And she tells Jeannie and Eula why - even though it wasn't easy to keep speaking up - she'll never go the invisibility route.
GUEST: Angela 'Merk' Nguyen is LV, or Little Voice, on the awesome podcast for tweens Ooh! You're In Trouble. For five seasons, she was the co-host and co-producer of the podcast Adult ISH. And soon, you'll hear her voice work all over kids' animated films! Follow her @ultraraduberfad on Instagram and Twitter.
34 min