Are Women Still Expected to be 'Lady-Like' at Work?
The criticism that the U.S. women's national soccer team has received for being too exuberant during its recent win over Thailand plays into the notion that women need to behave as nurturers, not aggressors.
June 18, 2019 at 02:28 PM
5 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
|
How often do I talk about sports in this column? Like never.
So you know something must be getting under my skin when I suddenly focus on the World Cup—granted, I'm talking about the Women's World Cup.
Did you see the hell that the women's U.S. soccer team got when it creamed Thailand at the opening game last week? In case you missed it (and you probably did because how many red-blooded Americans care about soccer?), the American team played spectacularly, beating Thailand 13 to 0.
After that awesome win, you'd think that commentators would be heaping on the praise, perhaps taking up the cause of pay equity for the team. (The U.S. Women's National Team is now suing the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination. Though the women's team generates more revenues and has a far superior record than the U.S. men's team, they are paid less and get fewer benefits.)
Instead of adulation, the U.S. women faced a barrage of criticism for celebrating—too loudly and rambunctiously—every time they scored a goal. New York Magazine's The Cut summarizes some of the criticisms:
“Some commentators took issue with [midfielder/winger] Megan Rapinoe's joyous twirls following the ninth goal of the match, which ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman, a former player for the U.S. men's team, said on Twitter left a 'sour taste' in his mouth. ESPN's Max Bretos seemed to agree, tweeting: 'I would tone down the celebration for the 9th goal, but that's just me.' On TSN's World Cup show, former players for Canada's national team called the celebrations 'disgraceful.' ”
I don't regularly follow sports, but I have to ask: How much of this is about excessive celebration and how much of it is a gripe about female immodesty?
But what really bothered me was that some of the criticisms came from women, including those who were competitive athletes themselves. On CBS This Morning, soccer legend Hope Solo said, “I truly believe that we have to show so much class, especially coming from the number one team in the world.”
And Clare Rustad, who played for Canada's national team tweeted: “The USWNT displayed poor sportsmanship excessively celebrating many of the 13 goals against a 34th ranked team.” adding, ”It has nothing to do with the final score. You are one of the best teams in the world. Act like it. And yeah, I definitely would have said the same about a men's team.”
So did these critics approve of anything that the U.S. women's team did? Solo cited an example: “What I thought was so classy was after the end of the game, [forward] Carli Lloyd went up to the Thailand goalkeeper, and she put her arm around her and walked her off the field. That's the kind of class I want to see from the United States.”
That was a nice gesture, but it also plays into a stereotype: Women get approval when they play the role of nurturer and dial down the aggressor part. (Query: Do burly football players comfort the opposing team after a game?)
And all that talk about keeping it “classy,” not being “disgraceful” and living up to the standards of being a member of “one of the best teams”—are those code words for our lingering sexism? Are we talking about behaving like a lady?
What all this brings to mind is the tightrope that women in any competitive situation must walk—you know, that stuff about being tough yet lovable, strong yet feminine.
By this point, I'm sure you can all recite at least one study that shows the centrality of likability for women. For instance, you might recall that women get hammered for giving off bossy vibes or advocating too forcibly on their own behalf for raises or promotions.
And, of course, Hillary Clinton is the cautionary tale of what happens to a hardworking, competent woman whose likability quotient is low: You suffer the ultimate indignity—losing to some loser like you-know-who.
Frankly, I thought by now we'd be free of some of the old expectations about women's behavior, especially when we're talking about the literal playing field. I mean, if women can't be raucous and aggressive in a high stakes sports competition, can they afford to let loose anywhere else?
Contact Vivia Chen at [email protected]. On Twitter: @lawcareerist.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllLess Is More: The Risks of Excessive Data Collection from Mobile Devices
6 minute readHow My Postpartum Depression Led to Launching My Firm’s Parental Leave Coaching Program
9 minute readProtecting Attorney-Client Privilege in the Modern Age of Communications
6 minute readTrending Stories
- 1On the Move and After Hours: Riker Danzig; Goldberg Segalla; Rawle & Henderson; Laddey Clark; Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
- 2Waiving a Liability Insurer’s Right to Subrogation—Is It Appropriate?
- 3Judge Approves 23andMe's $30M Data Breach Settlement - With Conditions
- 4DC Circuit Upholds Law Forcing Sale or Ban of TikTok in the US
- 5Adapting for Success: Strategic Insights for Law Firms in 2025 and Beyond
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250