They Don't Get It, Do They? Quotes

“In 1983 Eugene Koprowski turned to mythology for his Organizational Dynamics article prediction that there would be considerable “foot-dragging and resistance on the part of the male power structure” in the quest for female social equity at work.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

“The ways we communicate convey meaning. To the extent that a boss sees a woman subordinate’s actions as indicative of nurturance and kindness but not of assertiveness and leadership capability, he is likely to treat her ideas as not deserving of attention and fail to seriously consider her for promotion as well. If his misinterpretation of her communication style is not brought to his attention, she is denied access to senior levels.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

“As one female Executive MBA student said to me, “The cases we study are almost all selected by male professors.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

“no longer cute-and-little, they are threatening. Men aren’t as accepting of them. They’ve never learned to comfortably accommodate female peers, especially ones who might disagree with them or even tell them what to do.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

“Women derived significant benefits from the lessons in Betty Lehan Harragan’s Games Mother Never Taught You and Margaret Hennig and Anne Jardim’s The Managerial Woman. These books, published in 1977 and 1976, respectively, launched a paradigm shift in female thinking. They and other such writings encouraged women to acquire political savvy, learn the ropes, and beat men at their own games. There is much to be said for political savvy and learning the ropes, but it gets you only so far -- approximately as far as women have gotten.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

“Not all men go about boasting, but most understand how to let it be known that they are awfully good at something important. They can make the mundane sound important and their role seem pivotal. For a woman to boast like a man, she must act in ways counter to her socialization. Women who accomplish this usually find that men are uncomfortable with boastful women. So boasting like a man often brings women no greater reward than not boasting at all. Women are left to prove themselves without promoting themselves in environments where skillful self-promotion often brings impressive rewards.”
― Kathleen Kelley Reardon, They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace -- Closing the Gap Between Women and Men