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Appropriate Behavior WILL Cost You
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You're white and male. Let's throw in that you're straight, too, just to complete the picture: You're privileged. Yet, there's a subset of that group that IS subjected to discrimination in the workplace, and it's not for any of those things. No, it's called the "nice guy penalty," and it's about how being nice and gentle and not an aggressive and blowhardy "alpha male" plays against advancement in your job. The idea is that it's seen as being more like women, who get discriminated against for the same thing, and it plays against the expectation that men will promote themselves and work out of self-interest. Studies show that men who are easy to work with and "agreeable" make less money than the a-holes, and that the masculine, aggressive stereotype promotes an "appearance of competence" (often hiding an actual lack of competence). There's a converse corollary, too, for Black men, who are, research indicates, rewarded for being LESS aggressive, also arising from stereotypes. Do you seen any of this at your work? (BBC)
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