According to the internationally-renowned expert on work-related gender discrimination Penny Vincenzi (snark, yes, that’s the novelist Penny Vincenzi), the glass ceiling is nothing more than a figment of some women’s over-zealous over-active rad-femnazi imaginations.
Women don’t fail to get into top jobs because the system is inherently biased in men’s favour, Vincenzi points out in today’s Mail, but because basically, when it boils down to it, they’re just crap at their jobs.
“In our politically correct times, it’s taboo to suggest women lose out in the workplace simply because they aren’t up to the job.” She says, choosing to ignore all and any research that might indicate the situation’s a bit more complex than that, “I just think that as a woman, if you want to succeed in whatever field you choose, you can – and you always could.”
In a classic example of how to miss the fcuking point entirely, Vincenzi then goes on to explain that part of the problem is that women often want to go off and have babies, which in itself isn’t an issue obviously, because that’s what women were designed for in Penny’s cosy white middle-class heteronormative world , but which becomes an issue when they then whinge about the long hours culture and not getting home in time to see the kids:
“I think this is an important factor: very few women are actually comfortable working 12-hour days while their children are very small. Most of us go for a softer option – but that’s not because we face male oppression, it’s because we want to be home for bathtime.
We put our careers – or the higher reaches of them – on hold. But it’s down to us”
Yes indeed: God forbid that employers should be asked to consider adopting more family friendly policies or that they should be asked to think about making some adjustments to their working practices; the problem of women’s underrepresentation in the upper echelons of the business world, or in politics, or indeed in any traditonally male dominated workforce is not theirs to deal with, it’s ours. Apparently if women want to get on, we can, we just need to do what Penny’s friend does:
“A fearsomely successful female lawyer who just happens to have young children. She goes home at six whenever she can, for bath and bedtime, and then goes back to the office. She does it because she wants to and wants to carry on succeeding (granted, she has an incredibly good husband).
As far as I know, she doesn’t feel particularly discriminated against. And as far as I also know, nobody’s forcing her to work that hard.”
And as far as I know Penny, the term structural discrimination probably means about as much to you as patriarchy-collaborating-gender-traitor does.
The esteemed author of a series of highy regarded and well-established feminist tomes then goes on to share with Mail readers her enlightened and progressive philosophy on workplace sexual harassment:
“The point, it seems to me, is that nobody forces you to go into an environment that is male-oriented.
I am completely baffled by these women who win zillions of pounds’ compensation because the men on the trading floor make sexist remarks to and about them, and supposedly ruin their lives.
There have been enough women before them, telling it how it is. It’s not rocket science to work out what the environment might be. Either grow a thick skin and fight your way to the top on talent and hard work, or don’t bother going there in the first place.”
So there you have it sisters: put up or shut up! Or, if you can’t stand the heat blah blah blah blah….
Ms Vincenzi appears to be completely oblivious to the contradictions within her piece, for example the way she’s argued on the one hand that there’s no such thing as male oppression within the employment market and therefore nothing holding women back besides their own innate incompetence, while on the other she’s tried to make the case that the more sensitive among us, ie those women who aren’t prepared to be bullied, insulted, demeaned and degraded by their colleagues, shouldn’t even bother applying for jobs in male dominated workplaces because of the sexism and harassment they’re liable to face there.
It’s surely not rocket science to work out that sexual harassment, and women being given the message that they should either toughen up or not bother applying for the more traditionally male jobs, reinforce the very system of male oppression Vincenzi is so keen to deny exists.
But then judging by this effort, I’m guessing Penny Vincenzi is no rocket scientist.
Too Much To Say For Myself 
Facksake, how very daring and subversive of her to brown-nose the Defenders of the Status Quo like that.
But I’ve noticed that this idea that women shouldn’t be penalised for bearing the children on which society depends has become more and more radical in recent years. I suppose it’s part of the fetishisation of motherhood we’ve been experiencing, in that women who Choose To Become Mothers should not expect ‘special treatment’, but should ‘take responsibility’ for their choices and, should their careers be affected, just suck it up quietly.
Makes me MAD.
Sadder still that she imagines that the female Deputy Leader of the Labour Party might benefit from an appreciation of her perspective.
What happened to me at work this week:
Having, after much implied threatening of legal action, researching, and consulting of lawyers/trade union reps, preparation of 10,000 word grievances, persuaded my employers to treat me like they treated a MALE, HETEROSEXUAL employee (but much less qualified and experienced than me, natch) and actually promote me, I was informed that I would be on a ‘trial period for skills development’.
This for a position which was advertised as permanent (with no trial period), and to which I was appointed by exactly the same internal recruitment procedure as the person with the penis. The person with the penis is NOT on a trial period for skills development, despite the fact that I actually have sixteen months experience of doing the position I had been promoted into (with exemplary performance) on temporary promotion. And he had bugger all experience of the post when he was promoted. Oh and I’ve done a related job in the same organisation overall for six years, when he had done an unrelated job in the same organisation for two years.
But he’s got a penis. And he’s married to a laydee.
Forgive me if I don’t share the well known expert Penny Vincenzi’s views.
Oh and needless to say I haven’t got my contract yet, but if it mentions a trial period, I’m not signing it.
Well said.
I couldn’t write such a calm, measured riposte. Reading the Male makes me swear. And make inarticulate ‘aaargh’ish noises.
Polly – you go, woman! I bet you deserve your promotion ten times more than he does.
Men choose to become fathers but oddly enough being a father does not involve 24/7 childcare since there is conveniently a ‘wife’ to hand who is able to take care of this ‘little inconvenience.’ Women however, who become mothers are stil the ones who have 95% responsibility for childcare.
Vincenzi has not fulfilled her responsibility as a writer because at the very least she should have investigated the issue thoroughly rather than make claims without any evidence whatsoever to substantiate her unsubstantiated claims.
One glaring error – as Cath pointed out and that is Vincenzi contradicts herself by on the one hand claiming women working in male-dominated organisations do not experience male sexual harassment or discrimination because they happen to be female. Yet, Vincenzi tells women who ‘horrors’ dare to enter male-defined workplaces (which means all workplaces of course) must be prepared to endure systemic and institutionalised male sexual harassment and discrimination because women are not allowed to even consider themselves fully human and entitled to be treated with dignity. That privilege is reserved for white middle-class men.
I know Andrea Dworkin in her book Right Wing women critiqued how and why many women believe male supremacy does not exist, so long as these women are given frequent ‘pats on the head,’ told they are good obedient girls by men and led to believe they are exempt from male contempt and male sexual harassment.
In the case of freelance journalists Jennifer, writing in the Daily Mail does translate not only into patriarchal approval, but also cold hard cash. But you are also correct that this woman bashing is largely a matter of gaining male approval. And it’s usually a successful way of doing it.
Urghhhhhhhhhhh.
Why do there always seem to be a whole slew of anti-feminist articles at a time?
First the Burchill/Bindel abomination and now this utter bullshit.
I suppose Vincenzi is in an excellent position to lecture us about being crap at our jobs, given that she seems to excel in that field. I mean, last I checked, writers and journalists were supposed to even attempt a little thing called ‘research’? No? She obviously thinks her novels reflect the reality of life!
How charming of her to snidely comment of her hard-working friend:
“As far as I know, she doesn’t feel particularly discriminated against. And as far as I also know, nobody’s forcing her to work that hard.”
Well Penny, pot kettle black. Nobody forces YOU to write shit books, or even shittier articles for the Fail now, do they?!
I’m really sorry to hear about the trial perod Polly, it stinks; I hope it all works out for you. And you’re right about how for freelance journalists the Daily Mail = cold hard cash, but can I just state here and now, as a freelance journalist, I will never never write for the Mail.
Jennifer – great to meet you today! At last I can now put a face to the name 🙂
Well I’m hoping they’ll drop the idea Cath,(ie even the brainless HR woman realised it was not a goer putting a clause in my contract that has never been put in anyone else’s and is against all the organisation’s published policies) because I can’t be arsed doing any more mental jousting. Haven’t got the contract yet so will wait and see.
Cheers anyway.
And I’m sure you could squeeze out a piece on why women shouldn’t be allowed to drive or something for a few squid shurely?
It’s bizarre. I do (I must confess) buy the Male occasionally because it entertains me and is good if you’re feeling really harassed at lunch and just want to veg out (I buy Closer magazine sometimes as well, though I draw the line at anything more expensive/upmarket). But this woman at work who I previously respected and thought sound shocked me to the core by saying the Male was a ‘good woman’s paper’. What?
To be honest the role models put forward,
are often crap or twisted. Look at what we have in parliament, Vera Baird, Jacqui Smith, Fiona MacTaggart, Harriet Harman, it’s a circus show of grave error.
The redeeming feature being that three of them have male counterparts just as bad.
I can only think of one male MP as obnoxious as Harriet Harman, and as I have yet to get full goods on that fella, he is to remain nameless, suffice to say he is also a moron and rampant eejit.
I was looking at some of the ‘girls’ at Salerno FOB, Afghanistan, as they brought in the pieces of human being, and none below rank of Major.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30723781#30723781
“part of the problem is that women often want to go off and have babies, which in itself isn’t an issue obviously, because that’s what women were designed for in Penny’s cosy white middle-class heteronormative world ”
One has to be realistic, about how real a non-heteronormative bubble can be. Heterosexuality is the reality that produces the species and there is no prospect, not even a glimmer, of that changing.
The species once produced can join the BNP, or Green Party, or read the Daily Mail.
Gregory
“I know Andrea Dworkin in her book Right Wing women critiqued how and why many women believe male supremacy does not exist, so long as these women are given frequent ‘pats on the head,’ told they are good obedient girls by men and led to believe they are exempt from male contempt and male sexual harassment.”
I was picked to try to deliver on one of her last campaigning excursions, and to be honest,
the category she had a problem with, is the Blair Babes, that is the pinnacle of the ‘pat on the head’ culture.
I think Dworkin understood that much of Anglo-Saxon feminism was as racist, and as negative as the patriarchy, that was not specifically spelt out to me, that was just take on it.
I think she would be pleased, with some of the work Sasha at Object & et alia, are doing.
If I could sum it up, trying to get into a male only golf-club, that’s celebrity feminism,
and the lack of integrity of the ‘part on the head’ crowd, is to be avoided, as the only partners ( who may not be feminists) worth entertaining, are people who are reliable.
It was about, going forward, and eschewing light at the end of the tunnel cosmetics.
Gregory
Of course Ms Vincenzi isn’t a rocket scientist.
Her boobies would get in the way.
(runs away)
oh it raised a smile here, Tim. Apparently she was a librarian in Harrods though.
Penny Vincenzi’s credentials are no worse than the celebrity experts so beloved by the ersatz feminists of New Labour,
I see Jacqui Smith has sold out the buying sex from trafficked women legislation.
Maybe her husband had a word.
Gregory
Women of all races and nationalities have and still are suffering in the workplace, and that is a fact. Some women though, either as a result of their own psychopathic bent, or, a understandable wish to fit in/fear of being out of step in the occupational culture, can be as manipulative and destructive as any man free and empowered in the workplace. Most women would agree with this. That doesn’t mean however that women generally are not exploited and victimised as they struggle for bread- like most black people and other visible ethnic/social minorities.