Can Spandex ever be macho?

By: Liz Morris
Date: 11:56am, 13 Jul 2010

“Ballet is for girls” said my six-year-old son. “I’m not wearing pink and NO WAY am I wearing tights.” I can understand his point. Most of his life is spent fighting shoot ‘em up games with guns and light sabres made from an outstretched arm or a stick.
The difference between boys and girls, is a popular argument. Are they socialised? Or, is it hard coded in their DNA? Before kids, I blame nurture for most of the problems in society. What a shock when my own children arrived. One blue with muscles the size of the Hulk and the other one pink, twinkly and manipulative. The blue one was never given a gun, not even a water pistol. The most violent character he saw on TV was Poluto from Tommy Zoom. Yet at the age of three he picked up a stick and said “Bang! Bang! Bang!”
If gender differences are so engrained, and flexible working is just not macho, then how can we build family friendly workplaces?
The facts should speak for themselves. Women in the workplace make good business sense. The stats are there. It’s like putting rocket fuel in your car – you can go fast, win more, make more money etc. You would have thought that this would be enough to go out and recruit loads of women. But it’s not. The lingering threat of motherhood lurks at the back of each recruiter’s head.
About five years ago I was asked by a London based recruiter from a very reputable agency (nameless for obvious reasons) “Are you sure you want to give up your life of baby rearing and coffee mornings for a job in Canary Wharf?”
But, that’s a story for another blog. Back to macho spandex…..
Last week, I was talking with a City investment-banking group. The topic was gender diversity and how to create an agile, flexible workplace that would deliver a competitive advantage. Their challenge was a macho culture fuelled through presenteeism.
“We get it,” said a very senior female. “It’s just that working flexibly isn’t macho. It’s like Spandex. Most blokes wouldn’t be seen dead in a leotard and tights.”

 

A colleague interrupted her, “Actually Will on floor 36 would. He’s a Startreck fanatic.”

 

Fanaticism aside, and obviously ignoring, Superman, Batman, Spiderman and of course Banana-man, the point is made and actually backed up by research. Several studies show that whilst men would love to work fewer hours (approx 70% across Europe), when given the option of working flexibly, many will actually work longer hours to prove their dedication and fight the stigma. The sad thing is, that research also shows that overwork reduces performance and increases stress and likelihood of burnt out.

 

So how do we make flexible working cool?

 

Then I remembered two things from way back - I turned 40 quite recently and the midlife thing is really kicking in. The first, a conversation in a nightclub when I was nineteen: two good-looking, but much older men were chatting up my girl friend and me. Surprisingly my friend asked, “Have you got any kids?” back came the reply with a smirk “None that I know of!”

 

The second was something from school. We were given two grades in our end of term reports: one for achievement, the other for effort. The boys (and a few girls) would brag about the coolest grades: A for achievement and a D or E for effort.

 

So where did this go wrong in the workplace? Why do we reward the A for effort/presence and C or D for achievement? Wouldn’t it be cooler the other way around?

 

How can we make flexible working a cool and aspirational thing?

 

Because when we do, each one of us will benefit from a more inclusive workplace, each working father will be able to benefit from a better work-life balance and each employer will benefit from greater diversity, dedication, innovation and productivity.

 

You know your men….What do you think?

View Smart Working Mum's other Blog Entries

Related tags: Blog | Flexible Working | Gender | Liz Morris

Post this entry to:    del.icio.us |  Digg |  Newsvine |  Reddit

Have your say

That's a really perceptive point you make. Somehow I had never thought of it like that, although I have clear examples when 'taking paternity leave' or 'taking time off to attend children's school events' and such-like are perceived as uncool and unmacho. And I completely agree with the achievement vs. effort dichotomy. While I can see how in school it can be a bit destructive (it becomes too cool to not put in any effort and not study), I think there should be a way of rewarding both approaches in the workplace. Those who achieve their goals and those who have to struggle just that little bit harder to achieve them, for whatever reason.

| Report this comment

Post a comment