The Workplace

This week I wanted to analyze how the articles in men’s and women’s magazines address the workplace. Will this theme of power and control for men and passivity for women continue in these articles? Will the workplace even be addressed in some of the magazines? I hope through this blog to come to a better understanding of how the workplace is portrayed in both men’s and women’s magazines.

One of the articles in Glamour was title, “Is your boss just not that into you?”. This was the only article about the workplace in the entire magazine. However, the subtitle was, “It’s all about you- your wants, your needs, your dreams”. While this is a good message to send to women and seems empowering, it was part of an article that was about pleasing someone else. Clearly, it is not about your wants and needs- it’s about your boss’. There was a picture of a woman on the phone at her desk saying, “Gotta go impress the boss”. When in the workplace, it is clear that women should not be individuals or press for what they ultimately believe in. Instead, they should focus on pleasing the boss. Additionally, they should “approach every task with a can-do versus a ‘that’ll never work’ attitude”. A woman ought to be positive at all times, even when it goes against what she believes. While there is something to be said about thinking positively, it seems that, according to this article, it is more important to remain positive about something you disagree with than to voice your concerns and risk upsetting your boss. For women, the workplace is all about relationships and how people think of each other. Women are ultimately the ones responsible for maintaining an atmosphere of peace and calm.

For men, however, the workplace is much more impersonal and is only a means to an end- financial success. In Men’s Health, there was a feature article about “Income for Life- Guaranteed!” In it, the reporter stated that, “Companies exist to be profitable. You are a means to an end. That’s it. …What matters to bosses is making money, because if they don’t, they lose their jobs. …If you maintain detachment, a layoff won’t be as traumatic, and you’ll have a more immediate emotional starting point when you look for work.” This is a far cry from the emphasis in Glamour on a good relationship with one’s boss. According to this article, men are in no way responsible for creating a friendly atmosphere. Indeed, they are to avoid it in case they are laid off. To create a personal relationship with a boss, for men, is to create a dangerous tie that could be too emotional if he decides to leave the job for whatever reason. Men work to make money, not to establish relationships.

Additionally, work is a competitive environment for men, and like Darwin’s theory of social evolution, the weak are left behind while the strong survive. For example, this article states that, “We are always rewarded for hard work and excellence. Be amazing and you’ll always have people wanting to work with you. That will lead you to more job security, more money, and in the end, more happiness.” Men must be the best at their jobs, lest they be left behind. After all, if they don’t have job security, they don’t have happiness. This article leads men to believe that financial success is complete happiness.