It's like “I'm sorry” is a woman's default response. They apologize for having and showing emotion, for asking a valid question, for walking in the same direction as someone in the store, and for their failures and successes. In every situation, women automatically react with an unnecessary “I'm sorry.” I think it's tiring for women.
Research shows that women apologize more than men because they have higher standards for determining what constitutes a crime. Women apologize so often that she doesn't even realize she's apologizing. In my own experience, when I walk into a store and walk in the opposite direction, I find myself prompting a male professor with a question, saying, “Sorry, I had a question…” It wasn't until I became more aware that I was overdoing it. Man, I'll be the first to get out of the way and say sorry. If you pass someone walking while running, you'll end up saying “I'm sorry.”
Now, if you identify as a woman and are reading this, think about how many times throughout the day you apologize for things that don't deserve an apology. And if you don't identify as a woman, think back to how many times you've witnessed women apologize for simply existing, or how many times they've apologized to you for no reason. please. There is no doubt that this is a common occurrence. Just because this is a part of women's society doesn't mean you should accept it.
There are many reasons why over-apologizing is a common trait among women. Whether it's because they want to be liked, it's also a fear of conforming to society's idea that for women to speak up and assert themselves is disrespectful, bossy, and stubborn. But what I would like to draw attention to is how detrimental constant apologies are to women and young girls' self-confidence.
Constantly apologizing for speaking your mind in the classroom or at a professional conference actually makes women feel sorry for having ideas and wanting to express them, and makes them feel less comfortable speaking up. You convince yourself that it will get in your way. Men, on the other hand, are less afraid to express their opinions in these situations. Nearly 80% of women already have low self-esteem and lack assertiveness in the workplace. The normalization of apologies only adds to this statistic, pushing more women away from career development and opportunities. This lack of confidence has a ripple effect, causing a woman to undermine her own qualifications and jeopardize her workplace representation as a whole.
This is one reason why women are rare in positions of power. It is widely known that society favors men in positions of power. Because of this, a woman doubts her own worth and is afraid of how her own image will be affected if she expresses her own opinion without apology.
There is no doubt that this is a pervasive problem, so we need to find ways to address it and empower women to speak when they have the right to speak and where they have the right to speak. You have to let them know that no apology is necessary for walking. Walking and just being.
I implore all women and girls to challenge this notion. I myself have tried not to apologize too much for trivial things. Now I just ask questions and don't apologize before I ask them. Thanks to this, I gained new confidence in myself as a woman.
My friend Zoe explains that in order to eliminate the expectation that women will always get out of the way, if they see a man walking in the same direction, the first thing they do is try not to walk away and apologize. He gave it to me. road. Another friend of mine, Smita, is in a male-dominated mechanical engineering major, but she also belongs to a male-dominated F1 club, and her goal is to be proactive and not be shy about conversation. I am. In doing so, she was able to demonstrate her own intelligence and share her own ideas while listening to the opinions of her peers.
Young, intelligent women of our generation are recognizing this pattern of over-apology and making clear efforts to end it. We are now aware of our knowledge and value in different fields and are not afraid to show it off. Because of this, we are introducing a new group of women into the workforce who don't feel the need to apologize or acknowledge their worth.
The problem still exists, but it's not going away, and the only way to continue to make progress is to empower women, give them a platform, listen to them, and feel confident in who they are. Please continue to support us.
Grace Harris is passionate about social justice and advocacy. She is always open to more ideas at her email — gmh66@pitt.edu