Women and confidence

[BelleCurve]

Can we talk about women and confidence? I've been thinking about this lately and it really strikes me this is a common marketing ploy.

Mascara, underwear, cereal bars -almost anything seems to be claiming to give women "confidence". Every career advice article claims we need more "confidence".

I am plenty confident, but I'm still discriminated against. Why are women supposed to need to be more confident in all situations?

I wirk with a woman who is very highly qualified and experienced but who took a job with low pay and low status as she is a single parent and did not think she could cope with the stress of the workload if she worked at her previous higher role. Management recognised her potential and offered her a higher role but on a much reduced salary on the understanding that she would be allowed to have a reduced work load. She accepted but, about 6 months on, management have gradually, bit by bit, added to her workload here and there so now they have a very well qulaified, experienced woman doing a high level role for a much reduced salary and she's frustrated but doesn't feel she can do/say anything. For so many reasons, it's very unlikely a man would find himself in that situation.

This is not unusual, I know many women who return to a "lesser role" after children eg teachers who go back as teaching assistants, office managers who go back as secretaries, so the companies get really good, experienced, qualified workers at a massively reduced rate.

I feel it's almost a rite of passage for a girl to start the whole "I'm so fat" "no you're not I am" thing. And to start feeling that external sources (men and other girls) decide if she is good enough. And then it becomes "normal" to be in your 20s and "lack confidence". Because you become a bit of a square peg if you're chilled out. And it takes a lot for someone that young to say "I don't care" and mean it. Girls are so conditioned to please, pander, sacrifice their own needs..
I must say I'm enjoying the self confidence that has come with age.

rosabud, yes - or, they try to cut their hours to part time, say, don't work Fridays, accept 80% of the salary, and do all the work anyway, not even necessarily by squeezing it in Mon - thur (which would be bad enough anyway) - but in many cases actually working the day they don't supposedly work! usually as "exceptions" that happen about 47 times a year.