Day 17 The hidden networking gap
男性和女性之间潜在的人脉鸿沟
networking n.联网
It’s been said that it’s not what you know but who you know. And there is a long history of men getting to positions of power by leveraging their connections. Now, a new study published in the journal Human Relations suggests it’s not just because men have more access to power and face less bias (although that certainly plays a role), it’s also because men and women build their networks differently. According to the study, women often hesitate to ask for help because they don’t want to “exploit” their network and they’re too modest.
leverage n.杠杆作用,力量,影响 v.促使…改变
据说,重要的不是你知道什么,而是你认识谁。男性利用人脉获得权位,这件事古已有之。如今,发表在《人际关系》期刊上的一项新研究表明,这不仅仅是因为男性获得权力的途径更多,面对的偏见更少 (尽管这确实有一定的影响),也是因为男性和女性建立人脉的方式不同。根据这项研究,女性在寻求帮助时,常常犹豫不决,因为她们不想“利用”自己的人脉,而且她们也过于谦虚。
When women seek a mentor, the study says, they tend to look for someone they want to be friends with rather than someone they can learn from. Studies have shown women aren’t getting the tough feedback they need to move ahead. The best mentors will push, dare, and confront mentees, and challenge them to take on projects they might otherwise avoid.
研究表示,当女性在寻找导师时,她们倾向于寻找可以成为朋友的人,而不是可以学习的对象。研究表明,女性没有得到进步所需的严厉反馈。最好的导师会向学员施压、挑战学员,与学员(就一些问题)对峙,并考验他们,让他们承担一些项目,如果没有导师,学员可能就会避开这些项目。
Men, on the other hand, look to form alliances. Men are willing to do business with anyone, even someone they don’t necessarily like, as long as that person can help them achieve their goals. Men understand that this is a work relationship that can be dissolved when it’s no longer convenient, not a long-term friendship.
另一方面,男性则希望与他人结成联盟。男性愿意和任何人展开合作,只要那个人能帮助他们实现目标就行,即便那是他们不喜欢的人。男人明白这是一种工作关系,并非长期的友谊,当这种关系不再合宜时,便可以解除。
“I think men are socialized from the get-go to understand that mixing business and friendship is what you do” to get ahead, says Rachel Thomas, president of LeanIn.org. “We, as women, aren’t as comfortable doing that.”
LeanIn 组织的主席——瑞秋·托马斯说:“我认为男性从一开始就适应了社会法则,他们明白自己就该将工作和友谊交融”,并借此获得成功。“作为女人,我们做这种事不如他们来得心安理得。”