It was the “acting like a lady” term of the equation that was so vexing. A little bit of coyness, like wormwood, could be pleasantly intoxicating, smoothing interactions with the men. Too much politesse, however, might poison a woman’s prospects for advancement. Women were “supposed” to wait for the assignments from their supervisors, and weren’t expected to take the lead by asking questions or pushing for plum assignments. Men were engineers and women were computers; men did the analytical thinking and women did the calculations. Men gave the orders and women took notes. Unless an engineer
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