thursday, October 5, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 11
Speaker: women executives cut their own throats
By Mary Jo Howe
It's a managerial meeting at a large corporation. Six
men and one woman, all managers of equal rank, sit
around a conference table with their briefcases before
them.
One of the men turns to the woman manager and
sweetly says, "Kathy, as long as you're here, why don't
you take notes?"
The "assistant" or "secretary" role is just one that
women managers often are pushed into, according to
Dalia Katilius-Boydstun, a psychology department in
structor and former personnel manager for Armour-Dial,
Co. in Chicago.
Katilius-Boydstun discussed pitfalls for women execu
tives in large corporations Wednesday in the Nebraska
Union. Her talk was third in the WomenSpeak series
sponsored by the Student Y.
Corporations still are male-oriented but women execu
tives shouldn't place all the blame for their problems
there, Katilius-Boydstun said.
In fact, she said, "Women often cut their own throats."
Perpetuate sex roles
During her years as a woman manager she said she has
observed many women perpetuating sex roles.
'The woman manager is unique. She is often the only
one in her organization, so she feels lonely. She has no
camaradene with the filists or the typists or the book
keepers. Neither is she totally accepted by her peers."
The woman manager still wants to be considered
attractive and receive attention, but she often gets the
wrong kind of attention, Katilius-Boydstun said.
Some women try to become one of the boys, she said.
Male executives make many decisions on the golf course,
in the bathroom and over drinks in a bar.
But if the woman insists on joining in those situa
tions, she is risking gossip, Kotilius-Boysdstun said.
Men are even more sensitive to gossip and won't try to
include the woman for fear of angering their wives, she
said . So the woman not only misses out on vital informa
tion and decision -making, but also the feeling of
camaradie with her peers.
"I have no solution to this problem," Katilius-Boydstun
said. But it is possible for a woman to be a good
manager and maintain her feminity.
Labels are common
Some common pitfalls for a woman include becoming
labeled as a militant, sexy broad, little girl, kook, mother,
or castrated female.
The woman manager needs to be rational, decisive,
directive, able to control and lead.
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Dahlia Katilius-Boydstun, psychology department
professor, discussed pitfalls for woman executives in
large corporations Wednesday in the Nebraska
Union in the third part of the Student Y Women
Speak series.
But sometimes, young women especially, can rarry
these qualities too far and become militant' , Ka ilius
Boydstun said. They are socially -aware woine-i .iware
of the injustices of the male-oriented society, and tend
to lay blanket accusations on the entire male sex rather
than singling out one person. This forces the men to band
together and defend each other, hurting office inter
personal relations, she said.
On the other hand, Katilius-Boydstun said women will
go along with sex roles just because its easier than resist
ing. The "sexy broad" is often an inevitable development,
she said, adding that while flirtation appears whenever
men and women get together, women should not yield
to it.
Branded in role
"The office is a great place for gossip and once a
woman gives into the role, she is branded"
Some women fall into the 'little girl" role, playing up
their helplessness, so men will help her, she continued,
criticizing such manipulation of emotions.
"Kooks" will even dress strangely, and make bizarre
comments to gain attention, she said.
Older women managers easily slip into the role of
"mother" of the office. They are kind and supportive,
and men come to them with their problems. But they
won't follow "mothers" orders when she tries to exert
her managerial powers, Katilius-Boydstun explained.
The "castrated woman" becomes manlike, she said.
She is rational, tough and refuses to be pushed around.
She has completely rejected the woman stereotype in
order to be a manager, she said.
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