Gender Power Struggles

A response to a prompt on power in gender.

Check out my TIKTOK to see how 110.2K have responded and voiced their experience on this subject (linked on Feed Page under voice recording).

So lets talk about being a female leader in a group project in university.

My Thoughts

I find the hardest thing as a female in university is to motivate lazy male group members and inspire them to do their work well. Throughout my years in university, I have been placed in groups I did not choose and have had to cover for so many group members. Most of the time I end up being the leader in the group and I don't know if it's simply because I am the one who cares the most about handing in quality work or if it's simply just laziness of most students that don't care. The biggest struggle I have had being a female leader of the group is getting my male group members to listen to me or put the effort in. so many times I have set up meetings where no one will show, I've emailed and texted, helped research and write in each section and provided support but still I have not been able to motivate my male group partners. although my power is not legitimate power and one they have to listen to, I have found being a female affects the way they acknowledge or don't acknowledge me, my ideas, or the project in general. So many projects I have completed entirely on my own. This really makes me question all the articles and books we read that say males naturally have leadership skills as I have found many of my male peers in university to be lacking these. Maybe it's just a habit in school but it makes you never want to be lead by them. I have worked also with female group partners I have chosen and we seem to understand and respect each other's leadership when completing and working on quality group projects.

This project has been ongoing as currently 110.2k other women and men have attested to this scenario and shared their stories on my TIKTOK post. They relate, as for them, many men don't see them as a power figure versus how a man would respond to a man in power. Lots of the viewers also had tips for dealing with these situations and one commented that she still experiences this in her work life. I think it goes to show an underlying power dynamic that is slowly being acknowledged and reshaped by all of us.