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Beth from Astrology Explored continues her Problems at Work series with this post on the zodiac and management style.

The Twelve Bastard Bosses of the Zodiac

We all have them, the people who make our lives miserable by their constant insistence of productivity. Management style however, is little more than a recap of the signs of the zodiac. Here’s how it breaks down:

The fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius have one overriding desire. Whatever they want they want it NOW! Too bad that you were out sick with the Ebola virus, if you missed a deadline, it was your fault. Your doctor’s note will be crumbled and tossed in the nearest wastebasket, despite the notation, “I have advised Ms. Smith that she needs a least another two weeks recovery time from her near death experience.” He doesn’t care and never will. Your illness is your problem, after all, and it did inconvenience him that you were out. He may have actually done some of your work, which may have convinced him that he doesn’t need you after all. Never mind that he mucked up the work, it got done, didn’t it?

They thrive on motion and commotion. They are expects at crisis management because they cause so much of it. Get out of the way and duck. They’ll think you are bowing to them, which after all is nothing more than they deserve.

The earth signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn live for order and control. Forget shaving five minutes off your work day by being late. It doesn’t matter if your little Susie had a meltdown at daycare, you should have been prepared for that and left home earlier. Your desk a less than perfect picture of tidiness? Kiss your next promotion or raise goodbye. These people do not believe and empty desk is the sign of a an empty mind. Just look at their desk. And don’t bother taking a personal call at work. These people have a finally honed radar that will have them at your cubicle the minute you pick up the phone. Why are these people so finely tuned to the pulse of the workplace? It’s their job to make sure that not a second of productivity is wasted and they take their jobs very, very seriously You’ll be reminded of that at your next performance review.

The air signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius live for the generation of ideas which is not bad in and of itself. It is bad that they generate so many of them and expect all of them to be implemented at once. Forget trying to keep up with these whirlwinds of activity. Their agile minds are always active. You’ll only burn yourself out trying to keep up with them. Fortunately for everyone, they often forget many of their suggestions on their own. The trick is learning to weed through them to pick out which ones really needs to be worked on. Otherwise, you’ll spend precious hours on one project only to be challenged by the boss “What are you doing wasting your time on that?” A “You told me to” just isn’t going to cut it. Watch them roll their eyes as you get one of their famous lectures, this time on the value of prioritizing your work. There is just one way to protect yourself from your air sign boss. Practice controlled procrastination. Only until they ask you for a project the second time, do you produce it. Just make sure you get it them that day. They can’t wait all day you know. Yes, you know.

The water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces focus on making sure of one thing, that they keep their job. Why are they so focused on this? They are sure you are out to take it from them. Water signs instinctively know they are a mess both emotionally and organizationally, but they aren’t giving up their salaries or corporate perks just to satisfy you. They have their own goals, you know, like keeping their house and keeping their spouse happy. They are not known as risk takers, and their greatest asset to the company is that they aren’t going anywhere.

This is also your greatest problem if you hope to climb the corporate ladder. See how this works? They practically beg to be taken out. However, this a mistake because their radar will pick up on your ambitions and counter measures are in place. What counter measures? You don’t really want to know, but their reputation of being snoops are well deserved. With these folks, what happens in Vegas is their ammunition.

If you want a sign-by-sign blow of your Bastard Boss check out this
book: Bosstrology–The Twelve Bastard Bosses of the Zodiac

astrology, zodiac, astrology at work, bosstrology, boss zodiac

The is real Girls’ Water Cooler stuff! Beth from Astrology Explored shares the latest research on why women continue to earn less than men. The reason may surprise you, but is a strong indicator on how assertive women are viewed in the work place.

The Real Reason Women Earn Less Than Men

You’re cruising along in your job, you think everything is fine, and then one day a bomb hits you. No, not a terrorist bomb, though it might as well be. One day you find out that the male managers at your level make more money than you. Even managers on a lower rung than you can be making the same money or more. Isn’t this illegal? Yes and no.

There is no law that prevents employers from paying different employees different rates of pay. It is illegal the pay differently for one class of workers doing essentially the same work as another. But it is one thing to know it exists, and another thing to prove it. To prove it may put you out on limb that could lead to a loss of your job and your career.

A recent sudy shows why:

“Their study, which was coauthored by Carnegie Mellon researcher Lei Lai, found that men and women get very different responses when they initiate negotiations. Although it may well be true that women often hurt themselves by not trying to negotiate, this study found that women’s reluctance was based on an entirely reasonable and accurate view of how they were likely to be treated if they did. Both men and women were more likely to subtly penalize women who asked for more — the perception was that women who asked for more were “less nice”.

“What we found across all the studies is men were always less willing to work with a woman who had attempted to negotiate than with a woman who did not,” Bowles said. “They always preferred to work with a woman who stayed mum. But it made no difference to the men whether a guy had chosen to negotiate or not.”

The issue of “niceness” plagues the career woman. It is the real “glass ceiling” we need to break. Only until it is socially acceptable for women to play ball in the same way as men do we will have real equality in the workplace.

Read the rest of the Problems at Work series:

The Bully Boss
Picked On or Constructively Criticized? Know the Difference
What To Do When You Make a Mistake
Ways to Get Fired
Gossips, Snarks, and Whiney Babies: Your Work Place Survival Guide

working women, problems at work, work strategies, women’s salaries, workplace issues

Beth from Astrology Explored continues her workplace series today with surviving workplace rumor mills and whiners.

Gossips, Snarks and Whiney Babies: Your Workplace Survival Guide

A friend told me a story of when a co-worker came to tell her that the rumor was she was getting fired! This coworker was her boss, and he wondered where the gossip mongers got their information since he had no intentions of firing her.

He told her this himself because he was concerned that if she got wind of this gossip, she might start doing something like trolling for a new job.

The people who started this rumor are classic cases of Gossips, Snarks and Whiney Babies. They have nothing good to say about anyone they work for or with, take pleasure in denigrating other people and whine constantly about how tough their job is and how management doesn’t care about them.

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a boss that cares about how we might react to work place gossip, so it is important for us to protect ourselves. There is always someone who engages in this behavior, and it is corrosive to the working environment. While you would like to stay connected to your co-workers and grousing is a common bonding ritual, it is important to know when to draw the line.

First, do not engage in gossip yourself. Remember, the person who gossips to you will gossip about you. If someone brings you a juicy tidbit, say something like, “That’s interesting, but I have to take care of this right now. We’ll catch up later, OK?” If later never comes, hopefully the gossiper will catch the hint. If they don’t, just say quietly to them, “I’m here to work. I really rather not discuss that. What are you doing this weekend?” When you refuse to gossip you show an integrity that your co-workers will notice and your bosses will appreciate.

Snark proof yourself. Restrain from making derogatory or sarcastic remarks about your co-workers. If you have nothing but positive things to say about the people you work with, people will look like idiots for saying bad things about you. If you must comment , target the situation the person is involved in, not the person themselves. “Its unfortunate the payroll arrived late.” Not, “That stupid Jane, she put in the payroll late and we’ll pay for it!” When you refuse to engage in snarky behavior you show you can get along with a wide range of people.

Whiney Babies are a special challenge as they waste your time and are difficult to break away from gracefully. Some of their complaints may even be valid. However, how they handle them are not. Any serious complaint should be taken up with the manager in charge. The rest fall under the category of “Life’s Inconveniences.” Here again, you need to be firm and beg off the conversation, using your duties as an excuse. By refusing to engage or enable whiney behavior you are displaying a maturity that is always an asset.

Read the rest of the Problems at Work Series:

The Bully Boss
Picked On or Constructively Criticized? Know the Difference
What To Do When You Make a Mistake
Ways to Get Fired

workplace issues, work problems, work strategies, office gossip

Beth from Astrology Explored continues her series for us on dealing with problems and issues in the workplace. These sure-fire ways to get fired should be avoided at all costs!

Ten Ways to Fired

There is a goodly number of “Top Ten Ways to Get Fired” lists out there. Below are just a few of them:

http://sobasl.blogspot.com/2006/10/10-ways-to-get-fired.html

www.steffanco.com/topten.htm

http://machinedesign.com/ContentItem/68138/Top10waystogetfired.aspx

http://content.monster.com/articles/3491/16589/1/home.aspx

www.buzzle.com/editorials/7-11-2006-101893.asp

The common threads running through these lists are:

1. Failing to follow work place rules always has negative consequences. It doesn’t matter that you are the sharpest tool in the shed; if you fail to follow the rules, you can fail to keep your job. Why? Because people who fail to follow the rules provide a poor example to other employees, who then think that if you can get away with it, they can too. Don’t be that kind of example.
2. Failing to show your boss the respect his or her position demands. You may be smarter than the boss, or you may have more years with the company than the boss, but the boss is the boss for a reason. There is only one good way to get rid of a boss you don’t like — work to make him look good so he’ll be promoted. Maybe then you’ll get his job and have the joy of working with employees who show you a lack of respect because of your position.
3. Failing to show respect to your co-workers. Gossiping, pitting people against each other, or having a dismissive or condescending attitude toward your co-workers breeds resentment. No one likes working with someone who makes them uncomfortable. If you do it often enough, you’ll find yourself without allies or a working network to help you get your job done.
4. Failing to show respect for your company. If you dislike working there that much, do your employers and yourself a favor and find yourself another job.
5. Failing to show respect for yourself. Bringing your personal problems to work, complaining about your job, drinking or doing drugs on the job only demonstrates that you have no respect for yourself. No one respects that.

Join us tomorrow for Dealing With Gossips, Snarks and Whiney Babies–A Workplace Survival Guide

If you missed the previous posts in this series, you can find them here:

The Bully Boss
Picked on or Constructively Criticized? Know the Difference
What To Do When You Make a Mistake

work, work problems, work strategies, fired from job

This is the third installment in the series Problems at Work submitted by Beth at Astrology Explored. Mistakes are inevitable and unavoidable. How we handle our mistakes says just as much about our value as an employee as does our good work performance. Beth shares with us what to do to own up to our mistakes and take the proper steps to fix them.

What To Do When You Make a Mistake

Your heart is pounding. You can’t breath. You’ve just realized that you made a major mistake, one that will cause your employer expense or loss of income. What do you do?

Some mistakes are more serious than others, and the ones that cost an employee money are ones that hurt both the employer and you. But everyone makes mistakes. I tell my employees that there isn’t a mistake they’ve made that I haven’t made myself. The difference in recovering from the mistake is what you do about it.

What you do not want to do is assign blame to someone else. No one wants to hear it.

Do not minimize the impact of the mistake. Let the employer decide that for himself.

Do not blame circumstances (a too heavy work schedule, the baby kept you up all night). That only makes it sound like you can’t manage your life; a poor trait to have in an employee.

Here is what you do:

First, take a deep breath and look at the mistake. What can be done to minimize the effects? Can you make corrections? Can you save the customer? Who can help you? If you can formulate a solid recovery plan, you can salvage the situation.

Gauge the impact on the company. You need to know how badly the situation will affect your organization.

Tell your boss, especially before someone else does. And there is only one way to tell him or her: straight out and as soon as possible. If the boss is not available and the situation is critical, you might want to implement your recovery plan. However, if the boss is available tell him or her immediately.

Say, “I made a mistake that negatively impacted (whatever the situation is). It is going to effect (X, Y, Z). However, I think we can (describe recovery plan) and it will minimize the impact of this mistake. I’m sorry this happened, and it will never happen again.”

Whatever the boss’ personality, and however that supervisor reacts, you’ve done the best you can. What you’ve accomplished is this:

• You’ve shown that you can accept responsibility for accepting the blame.
• You’ve shown that you can think constructively and calmly through a difficult situation.
• You’ve shown you can be counted on to repair mistakes.

Take a deep breath. Grace under pressure is a trait employers appreciate.

Join us tomorrow for Ten Sure Ways to Get Fired.

Other articles in the Problems at Work series:

The Bully Boss
Picked On or Constructively Criticized? Know the Difference

working women, work problems, work strategies, workplace

This article is the second in the series “Problems at Work” submitted by Beth Turnage of Astrology Explored. Her experience in the corporate world allows her to offer solid advice on dealing with work place difficulties and utilizing the corporate stucture to resolve any issues you might face.

Picked On or Constructively Criticized? Know the Differance

You are just out of a meeting with your boss, who had less than complimentary things to say about your latest report. ‘”How dare he?” you fume. “That’s the last time I work overtime for him!”

For employees, nothing is more fraught with anxiety than hearing you are not perfoming well. For employers, nothing is more fraught with anxiety than counseling an employee on their performance. Believe it or not, most employers really do want your good will and may be afraid to disturb a productive working relationship. Some employers, being human, do not always handle these situations well, and may not issue critique in the most productive way. Sometimes, they even come off as jerks.

Some employees, after a less than stellar evaluation, may feel that the criticism was not deserved and that their value as an employee was called into question. It is natural to feel badly after a less than satisfactory review or counseling session. But is your boss really picking on you?

Did he criticize you in front of other employees (not another manager; one of your co-workers)? Or was the criticsm in private?

Did he deliver criticism in an angry manner or was he calm and on point?

Did he point out some of your good qualities as an employee or were there only negative comments?

Are the perfomance points valid?

As a the person who authorizes your paycheck, your employer has the right to set the rules at work. Issues such as tardiness, too many sick days (for anything other than serious illness), too many or too lengthy personal phone calls, too many breaks, inappropriate internet use, the methods used to perform the work, inability or refusal to follow instructions, inappropriate dress, (to name just a few issues) are well within the employer’s scope to monitor and regulate. When simple rules like these are broken, the employer has reason to mistrust other parts of your performance. If your employer feels it necessary to talk to you about these or other issues, then it is best not to take the counseling as a personal attack and work to reestablish the trust the employer had in you.

If the critique is issued in an abusive manner (and is not an isolated incident) with unfounded attacks on your intelligence, professionalism, or abillity, see the previous post “Problems at Work, The Bully Boss”.

Join us tomorrow for the next installment of this series: What to Do When You Make a Mistake.

women, working women, workplace, work problems, problem boss, work strategies

Beth Turnage from Astrology Explored is my guest writer for today. She has a lot of experience in the corporate world, and has offered to give advice on handling problems in the work place. Her first post is on the bully boss and the steps to take in dealing with one.

The Bully Boss

You don’t know what happened. Your work was respected. Then Mr. X was brought in to manage your department. Suddendly, nothing you do is good enough. Worse yet, Mr. X uses your work as an example of what not to do and does so publicly. As the knot grows in your stomach as you go to work each day, so does Mr. X’s attack on your work. He might even start making “jokes” at your expense and your co-workers laugh; some of them nervously, but they laugh. Then they start questioning your work, though you’ve worked with them for years. You notice the people you thought were your friends aren’t speaking to you much anymore. You aren’t imagining things. You are a victim. A victim of a bully boss.

Bully bosses pick their victims from the people who won’t challenge them, either because the victims are professional enough to respect the position even though they don’t respect the person or because he or she senses you are the weakest link in the chain. Either way, for them, they have more to gain by humiliating you than not. Whatever sick reason motivates them, it is your career that is being damaged and your health is that is being affected. You need to do something, but what?

First, take stock of your internal allies at work. Have you cultivated the respect of the people above your boss, or are you a face in the crowd?

How big is your company.? A bigger company has more to lose in terms if faced with the problems caused by a bully boss. Retention of good employees is an expensive proposition.. A smaller company, with less to lose, or managed by an owner, might not have enough knowlege of whats at stake to handle the problem effectively.

What are the avenues for complaints, and how effective have they’ve been in the past? Human Resource departments are there to protect the company’s interests, not yours. A complaint filed with the Human Resources Department should only be made as a last strategic move before legal action is taken. An open door policy with higher ups can be useful if approached correctly.

Have other people complained about this person before you? If you are the first person to complain about the bully, the complaint will be labeled as a “personality conflict.”, if you are the fifth, a pattern emerges.

What do you have to lose? Can you leave this job without a substantial loss of benefits? Are you able to find another job in your field? Let’s face it, if your company does such a poor job of hiring and monitoring their management, what else are they messing up?

What to do?

Consider your options. The final resort, legal action, hurts you as much as it hurts the company. It labels you as a “troublemaker” whether or not it is true, and it can hurt your chances for future employment.

Sometimes it is easiest and best to find another job. If you want to stay and fight for your job, you need to be careful in the steps you take.

Your strategy might include:

Having a private chat with your boss and let him know that you want to do whatever it takes to improve your performance. Ask for specific suggestions and write them down as as he speaks. Document the conversation in a tone that suggests you are only interested in a being a better employee. Do not expect the boss to improve his behavior.

Document specific instances of abuse, including who witnesses to the abuse.

Have another talk with the boss expressing your concern that no matter what you do, you don’t seem to meet his expectations. Ask again for a list of specific suggestions to improve your perfomance. Document the conversation.

Document the next instance of abuse.

The next step is to step up and go to the higher ups. This is tricky and it may not work, so this action is to be taken with knowlege that there is risk attached to this strategy, up to and including the possibility of losing your job. However, don’t hesitate. Studies show that most people targeted by a bully end up losing their jobs anyway.

Do not go to your boss’ boss. He or she has something to lose if his or her brillant hire doesn’t work out. Go to the boss’ boss’ boss and have a low key chat, which you will also document. Say how much you like working at the company, and you thought you’ve done well, but lately your performance is not satisfying the new boss. Despite your solicitations for advice, you are unable to get enough instruction from the new boss to satisfy his expectations. You express that you only want to perform well at work, and you are willing to do what it takes to perform well at your job. Ask him for specific suggestions. At this point the boss will usher you out of the office and wonder what the heck is going on in Mr. X’s department and that he better to speak to Y to find out. Or not. In any case what comes down next determines your course of action, but you are well prepared to take the next step should things do not improve for you at work.

And that step is hire a lawyer.

Helpful links about bullies in the workplace:

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19950901-000021.html
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/advice/bully-boss1.asp

Please join us again for Beth’s next topic: The Difference Between Being Picked On and Having Your Perfomance Evaluated.

women, working women, workplace, work problems, problem boss, work strategies

Women in military service have long struggled to be recognized not only for the contributions they have made in the past, but the contributions they could make if so allowed. The debate still rages in America, from the family kitchen table to the Pentagon itself. Whatever the final outcome of this debate, the sacrifices made by females in serving their country cannot be denied. Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF (Ret.) is president of the Women’s Memorial Fund and has made it her mission to bring equal attention to her counterparts, both historical and current. The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation faced a long and difficult battle in our own country to bring attention and a lasting tribute to America’s military women. The commitment of the Foundation and of Brigadier General Vaught paid off with the dedication of the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary on October 18, 1997.

Basic Facts About the Women’s Memorial

WHAT: The only major national memorial honoring all servicewomen—past, present and future. The Women In Military Service For America Memorial honors the more than two million women who have served or are serving in or with the US Armed Forces starting with the American Revolution.

WHERE: The 4.2 acre Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in our nation’s capital.

WHEN: Open to the public every day except Christmas. Dedicated October 18, 1997. Groundbreaking held June 22, 1995.

WHO: Spearheaded by the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc. The Foundation, founded in 1985, is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

THOSE HONORED: All US servicewomen, past, present and future, including living or deceased women veterans; Active Duty, Reserve, Guard and US Public Health Service uniformed women; and women in the Coast Guard auxiliary and Civil Air Patrol. The Memorial also honors women who served overseas during conflicts, in direct support of the armed forces, in organizations such as the Red Cross, USO and Special Services; and members of the US Public Health Service Cadet Nurse Corps. The Foundation is seeking names, addresses, photos and memorable experiences of women who have served to be included in the Memorial’s Register, an interactive computer database available at the Memorial. Deceased servicewomen from any era or those civilian women who served with other civilian organizations can be registered by family members, friends and organizations.

HISTORY: Congressional resolutions to honor military women were introduced by Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH). Signed into law by President Reagan in November 1986.

DESIGN: By Marion Gail Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi Architects, New York City, winners of a national competition. The Memorial features an upper terrace with views of Arlington National Cemetery and the monuments of Washington, DC. On the terrace, there is an arc of large glass panels on which quotations from and about servicewomen are etched. This arc of glass introduces natural light into the Memorial’s Education Center. At the lower terrace, in front of the Hemicycle wall, are the reflecting pool and Court of Valor. The Education Center, located behind the Hemicycle, houses a Hall of Honor, exhibit gallery, theater, and the computer database of servicewomen called the Register. Through the Register, visitors may access photos, military histories and the individual stories of registered women.

FUNDING: The total cost of building the Memorial was $22 million. In building the Memorial, support came from federal grants; proceeds from the sale of commemorative silver dollars; and corporate, organization, and individual donations. The Memorial Foundation maintains and operates the Memorial Education Center; manages an archive and research collection relating to women in the military; conducts an aggressive education program; builds exhibits showcasing the different eras in which women have served using text, images, memorabilia and artifacts; and continues to register servicewomen past and present.

DONATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS: Donations and registrations of servicewomen can be sent to: Women In Military Service For America Memorial, Dept. 560, Washington, DC, 20042-0560. Telephone: 800-222-2294 or 703-533-1155. FAX: 703-931-4208. E-mail: hq@womensmemorial.org. Web site www.womensmemorial.org. Commemorative coins can be ordered by calling 800-222-2294. The Foundation is a registered participant in the Combined Federal Campaign, the annual workplace fund raising drive conducted by the US government for all military, civilian agency and postal workers worldwide and the National Capital Area United Way Campaign. In state and corporate campaigns, donors may designate “Women In Military Service Memorial Foundation” on their pledge cards.

SOURCE: womensmemorial.org

WOMEN IN THE IRAQ WAR

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, women have continued to serve in America’s military, and have gained rights not allowed in previous conflicts. When remembering the victims of that 9/11 attack, we must also remember the sacrifices these women have made. Pro- or anti-war opinions do not matter. The fact is that these ladies deserve our respect and our gratitude as they continue to struggle not only to serve their President, but their gender. I urge you to visit icasualties.org and read through the list of the female fatalities to date in the Iraq War. Their legacy for equality can only be carried on if we carry it for them in our memories.

Female Fatalities

War Casualty List

9/11, Iraq War, women in the military, Women’s Memorial Fund, female casualties, Wilma Vaught, war casualties

In light of the USA celebrating Labor Day on Monday, September 3, I thought I would ask my readers. What is the one thing about your job that is really irritating, annoying, or nerve-wracking that other people could fix easily? Often times there are small things that happen that normally we would not notice. However, when it becomes a frequent or even daily occurance because it is part of your job, the small things can become dreadful things.

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The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) announced today that the Executive Committee of the Amex Board of Governors has appointed Patricia Rado, former Controller of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., to chair a new independent task force to examine recent system issues at the Exchange. Ms. Rado is an independent governor of the Amex Board as well as the chair of its Audit Committee.

Ms. Rado has been authorized to lead an independent task force that will conduct comprehensive reviews of technology issues underlying recent service interruptions. The task force is committed to identifying and resolving any issues that may otherwise lead to future disruption of market operations. The task force will report its findings and recommendations to the Amex Board.

(more…)

This week Pink magazine announced it’s Elite Eight companies for working women. MarketWatch has the article here. The companies are as follows:

• Kelly Services
• American Express Co.
• Heller Ehrman LLP.
• Aflac Inc.
• FedEx Services
• Grant Thornton LLP.
• Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
• Wachovia Corp.

Here is how the finalist were selected:

After a comprehensive application and evaluation process involving many of America’s finest companies, PINK recognized these eight finalists for their strong focus on the Four P’s: Power (women in board seats and C-suites, and those with P&L responsibility); Pipeline (leadership training, mentoring and coaching programs to retain talented women and move them up the ranks); Pay (evidence of pay equity, including the number of women in the top 20 percent of company salaries); and People (a work culture that allows women to have a beautiful career and a beautiful life).

The magazine says it is important to recognize these companies because the majority of corporate America is very much a boys club. Women make up less than 7% of the top earners last year. Companies like these help lead the way for gender equality in the work place. We will know that this is accomplished when it isn’t necessary to make special mention of the companies that are helping women advance. Until that day, cheers to them!

For more information visit the Pink magazine website.

working women, jobs, employment, gender

Female only floors in hotel. At first glance you might jump to one of a number of conclusions. Is it sexist? Discrimination? Anti-feminist? A safety measure? Well, after reading the article below, you be the judge…

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In our modern, fast-paced society, work can seem more like burden than a privilege to most women. But to a group of women in the small desert oasis of Siwa, Egypt, work brings them the kind of independence that is almost unheard of in their culture. The Time story discusses how these women are now contributing to the global economy and are able experience a world they have never known thanks to their traditional skills.

women, international, independence, society, Egypt, culture, traditional, Time

France has seen a growing trend over the past few years of women entering the historically male-dominated butcher industry. The Washington Post reported, that facing a shortage of up to 5,000 butchers, the trade has began welcoming women into apprenticeship programs. Additionally, a lot of their major recruiting is now geared toward women who might be interested in joining the industry. The new artisans

Butcher shops themselves are struggling to survive as supermarkets and fast food restaurants crop up more and more throughout the country. Once thought to be heart of the French culinary industry, France has seen a loss of almost half it’s butcher shops.

But for female butchers like Stephanie Gerbier there is a reason to smile. She has be interested in the trade for most of her life. Only recently did she decide to pursue the apprenticeship despite the disapproval of her parents. “I love everything about my job. I love cutting the meat, preparing it, the interaction with the clients, giving them cooking tips,” Gerbier says. The training is not easy but the Gerbier seems to find he hard-work rewarding. “It’s more comfortable working in an office with air conditioning rather than in a refrigerator the way butchers do, [but] would never go back to my previous life,” Gerbier boasts.

There will be a tough road ahead for women wishing to break into the trade as Gerbier has but just this year saw an unprecedented victory for doubters. At this years, Federation of Butcher Shops competition, two of the three selected as the year’s top apprentice butchers were women. This marks the first time in history a woman has taken top honors. We can only hope that she will inspire other women to follow their dreams.

women, butchers, international, culinary

women, butchers, international, culinary