Sex As Power?

My final exams start in exactly 2 weeks from today and i decided to start revising for my subjects in the order in which i'll be taking them. The first one i have is a Management course on Saturday ans as i was reading my text on organisational power and analysis, i came accross an interesting article. The people who wrote this textbook certainly had no plans to hold back and in that manner it is actually more engaging and interesting. This particular article was talking about the battle of sexes for power in the corporate world. We know that today females are still paid less than their male counterparts in the same job roles. The only female in a particular board of directors group was trying to get her fellow members to vote on something she believed in and when she didn't get as many votes as she expected, she got upset and said that the only reason they didn't vote was because she was female. The head of the board then said to her that if she had used her vagina instead of her mouth, maybe she'd have gotten more votes. Before i continue, might i add that this is actually a true life incident that was included in the text for educational purposes. It could be argued that that was a very sexist comment but in reality what he said is actually something that tends to occur in organisations even if they tend to be frowned upon or unspoken.

I know this for a fact because i saw this in one of the companies i interned at during one of my holidays back home. Of course, everyone in the office hated the lady because she easily got all her stuff approved and funded by the boss because she was sleeping with him while all the other ladies usually got told off and were referred to work under their male counterparts as opposed to heading their own projects. If i had read this chapter pre-2004 before moving to England, i'd have jumped on the bandwagon naming her a slut and every other demeaning thing you could think of on the face of the earth. But now, after reading it, my mind went straight to an episode of Sex & The City i watched where Samantha said that she saw nothing wrong in using sex to get ahead. After all, in her own words, men have been using and abusing women for centuries so why cant women use their sexuality if it gets them what they want? In an ideal world i would obviously prefer that we were all treated equally but in reality, we do not live in an ideal world. So now, although i would get hurt by a colleague of mine getting ahead simply because she used her sexuality as bait, it is also the path that colleague has chosen to follow so I cant really criticise.

After all, the less i judge people or worry about what they think of me or their own methods etc. the less stressful life would be. But then again, it is easier said than done!
Image via Inquisitr.com

No Sex In The City

Whilst on the bus to uni today, i sat behind two pretty blonde girls and i couldn't help but listen into their conversation as it was quite interesting; this has to be one big advantage of sitting towards the back of the bus. Anyway, one of them was complaining to the other about the fact that she hadn't had sex in a while and she said she feels like she's going through a dry phase. In her words, 'there's not enough choice here in Wollongong and the boys that are ok are actually overrated. We need to go spend a weekend in Sydney and party so i can meet some potentials'. Their conversation immediately reminded me of Samantha from the HBO Series 'Sex and The City'. I haven't seen much of the series itself but from the episodes i watched, Samantha is the most promiscous of them all.

Up until yesterday, i never really understood the thinking behind going to an overcrowded bar or club to spend the night drinking and having conversations at the top of your lungs. But my counsellor pointed out that it isn't so much as the senseless nature of getting drunk in the midst of people you've never met in your life but it is more about getting some social skills that can actually be applied in the business world. You go to university to gain academic and factual knowledge relating to the area you hope to specialise in when you start working. But when you go out with mates to the club or pub, you're learning how to create a social network because you never really know who you know that knows someone that might be of importance to you in the future. Also, in the corporate world, you sometimes have to drink socially with potential clients and bosses and the way you hold your ground in that situation determines how far you'll climb in the corporate world. It isn't really about how much knowledge you have on your chosen career but how well you fit into the social circle. Do you look like you belong or do you look really uncomfortable in the midst of people slightly drunk and puffing away on their ciggies? Can you survive through a night of your boss telling jokes that are as dry as the saharan desert and pretend like it's actually funny? Your ease at conversing with total strangers in a club could end up getting you a contract that you thought impossible.

Anyway, so now i've been given the assignment to get my butt off on a night out in the next 4 weeks after i've completed all my assessments. I don't know how i'm going to survive it because when it comes to partying, crowds and a bunch of randomers, i'm pretty much a social leper. I hate being around drunk people and i hate standing in crowded clubs; the thought of sweaty and drunk people is enough to make me sick. But at some point i've got to start grooming my social skills if i'm to make it anywhere in the international business world. So when i've lost my social virginity, you'll read about it.

On another note, i've never actually watched the entire series of Sex and the City as it's a bit too obscene for my liking. I remember from the few that i've watched, i always hit the fast-forward button in each episode as there were several cringe worthy scenes i couldn't stomach. I actually watched the movie when it came out last year and i thought it was an absolute waste of my money. But if i can learn a thing or two from Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha when it comes to socialising, then i guess i should give the series another try.

Source: Scene-stealers.com, 2dayfm.com.au