Did you Know Homer Simpson Has More Authority Than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

If you’re a woman in a professional position or, God forbid, an expert in any field, you’ve experienced this. You’re in a room full of men. In a meeting or presentation, you say something — no one responds. Then a man repeats the same thing, and everyone tells him he was a genius. <blockquote> Every woman has a tale to tell about being underestimated, talked over, ignored, patronized and generally not taken as seriously as a <a href="https://www.maryannsieghart.com/the-authority-gap/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">man</a>. </blockquote> Men ignore what you say. But that’s not (always) intentional. Men actually have a harder time <a href="https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.FTR1.24022019.44#:~:text=Lower%2Dpitched%20voices,harder%20to%20hear" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">hearing</a> women’s voices. And when they do hear you, They have a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2011/04/14/why-is-it-that-women-are-seen-as-less-competent/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">hard time believing</a> you know what you’re talking about. But it’s not just men. We women also tend to think that men know better. As Jamie Newton eloquently explains in her <a href="https://www.tedxmilehigh.com/gender-credibility-gap/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">TED talk</a>, the sad truth is that people are more likely to believe any man in the room over a female expert. <blockquote> Women are first assumed incompetent until proven otherwise. It’s the opposite for men. </blockquote> That’s how we’re all conditioned. Close your eyes and imagine a leader — a head of state, a CEO, an expert. Whether you’re a woman, a man, or non-binary, the first thing that usually comes to mind is a man in a suit. <a href="https://medium.com/bitchy/did-you-know-homer-simpson-has-more-authority-than-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ec99aca7d710">Click Here</a>