The New York Times’ “Gender Newsletter” may only be a few months old, but it has quickly begun to establish a pattern. The weekly letter appears to approach most issues that affect women by telling women what to do.
The most recent letter is titled “Women, Stop Volunteering For Office Housework!” and cautions women that volunteering to perform “non-promotable” tasks like planning office events and parties or serving on “low level committees” could “shift their careers into reverse.
Another from a few weeks earlier titled “Stop Being Grateful!” offered advice to graduating young women, saying, “To me, ‘gratefulness’ suggests ‘luck’ — which is a thing that, as a number of psychological studies have shown, women tend to attribute their success to (along with “help from others”). Men chalk up their accomplishments to hard work.” The author instead told women that they should claim what they had earned rather than being thankful for the opportunities they had been given.
One letter from early June, telling Britain to put more women in corporate boardrooms, is at least inclusive enough to order everyone around.
Yes, You Can Have More Women on Corporate Boards https://t.co/AApAnM2f2A If you haven’t already signed up to the fab NYT Gender Letter, you can do so here – https://t.co/yKcDWIRZEQ
Love this! @WomensAgenda @pipms @CEWAus @cazzmelbourne @DianeSmithG @MingYLong @corporatefox
— Dr Kirstin Ferguson (@kirstinferguson) June 9, 2018
Female candidates, in this piece shared by NYT gender editor Jessica Bennett, are told to “Forget suits” and “show the tattoo” on the campaign trail.
“After years of being told to put on a suit and recite their résumé — and smile! — female candidates are revealing themselves in more complex ways.“ This piece by @kzernike is the first in our #CampaigningWhileFemale series. https://t.co/k5W7w137nH
— Jessica Bennett (@jessicabennett) July 14, 2018
The publication’s Instagram feed got in on the action as well, telling women why they shouldn’t accept the sexist requirements of professional cheerleading.
Another post regarding “how to raise a feminist son” was full of directives.
- Give him role models.
- Teach him to take care of himself.
- Never use “girl” as an insult.
- Let him cry.
- Celebrate boyhood.
What will they tell us to do next?