Comments: Gender Dynamics in Group Situations: Please Discuss

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Posted by fayrene at January 25, 2005 11:05 PM

first off, i would probably say, "oh, geez, someone with better handwriting than i should probably take notes!" and then say "how about Jeff?"
then i would probably make sure that when i was speaking, i was not interrupted. length doesn't matter, as i can say more in 2 minutes than many in 10. what is important is the recognition. if i did take notes (while promoting a rotating 'secretary' schedule) i would emphasize the main points of each speaker, this would help emphasize the value and content of each speaker, rather than just leave the impression of substance from speech length.

Posted by holly at January 25, 2005 11:43 PM

I would ask the group leader if the notetaking position could be rotated among everyone so that everyone has a chance to be fully engaged in the discussion and to practice the skill of notetaking.

And while I agree not to let yourself get interrupted, I would also say go ahead and interrupt others if they are going on too long or not speaking with substance. You don't have to be rude, just jump in rather than waiting for them to wrap up what they're saying, or even just look like you're ready to add something right away.

Posted by ladygoat at January 26, 2005 9:54 AM

My response would depend on certain things about the context of this group exercise. If it were a job or jury duty or some other situation where power dynamics favored those in control and I had a lot to lose, I wouldn't do anything--I'd probably just be thankful that I was in a group with that high a proportion of women and where women got a chance to speak that much. If the interaction took place in an area of my life where I had more choice, like volunteer or activist work for example, I would resolve to speak to the "leader" guy, whether he was oversensitive or not, but really, I would probably either put it off until I was really pissed off about it, or I would just say screw it and leave the group for something more egalitarian where people appreciated their (probably unconscious) sexist behavior being pointed out, as an opportunity for growth. That having been said, in that sort of voluntary situation I probably wouldn't get involved in an undertaking in the first place, no matter how important the problem to be solved, if I had to be part of a group with a designated leader, unless the leader was very accountable to the rest of the group, preferably committed to the idea of maintaining consensus and being rigorous about never discriminating against anyone.

Posted by susan at January 26, 2005 9:56 AM

I would be very, very concerned about a repeat of the emails that were sent around last May concerning other problems with, um, your "group." Just guessing here, Jess. ;-) Send me an email if you want to talk more...

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