Theme Three: Driven by a need for recognition based on performance, not for gender. Don’t do me any favors; just applaud me when I’m done.
Assumption: High-achieving women still feel the pinch of discrimination in the workplace. However, many of them feel it is just something that exists but doesn’t affect them. They do not worry about proving that a woman can do a job. They focus on proving that they are the best person for the job. Discrimination does not have the cultural relevance it once had. These women feel they have to find their way on their own regardless of what a man or woman puts in their way.
Summary of data collected: The assumption proved to be correct. A majority of the women had experienced gender discrimination in the workplace. They even noted age discrimination from older women who seemed to be more interested in making the younger women “pay their dues” than supporting their rise in the company. Some of these acts of discrimination were blatantly hostile and illegal. However, this did not seem to move the women to try to eradicate the discrimination. Instead, they were driven to succeed in spite of these unexpected roadblocks (unexpected because the women seemed surprised that this behavior still exists in this century).
Therefore, it can be said that the women were driven to prove that they were highly competent and even better than their peers. If someone tried to keep them from succeeding either verbally or through actions, they felt motivated to try even harder to prove they could succeed at all costs.
