Right now in the United States, the rights of women are under attack. Equal pay, workplace protections, even the right to vote are under threat. If you are wondering how you can help and/or how you can better support the women in your life, I would like to make a suggestion for your New Year’s resolution. Ingest women’s perspectives. Do you read books, blogs, or articles authored by women? Do you listen to podcasts featuring or hosted by women? Do you listen to music created by female artists? Do you watch movies starring a female main character? If you don’t, don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault.
From a very young age, we are taught that the male perspective is the default. Even in elementary school, curricula require books written by male authors and/or from the male point of view. The assumption is that both little girls and little boys will be able to empathize with the male perspective, while a female perspective would be a “girl book” (like a “chick flick”). Children are taught that the male perspective is the default and broadly appealing, while the female perspective is frivolous and less than.
Then, as adults, it’s hard for us to adjust to the female point of view. We have less practice. We have to make an effort, just like we did in elementary school. In fifth grade, when you are reading Gary Paulsen’s young adult classic, Hatchet, you presumably have no experience of crash landing in the Canadian wild and surviving on your own with nothing but a hatchet. Your teacher instructs you on how to imagine what it’s like to be Brian, the main character. Your teacher helps you relate to the universal human truths presented in the book. Now you’re an adult, and you will likely need to teach yourself how to do the same thing with a different perspective. If you could do it in fifth grade, you can certainly do it now! I am rooting for you!
Unfortunately, you also haven’t had many opportunities to practice. Only about 11% of Joe Rogan’s guests are women. Lex Friedman’s podcast also features around 11% female guests. Rick Beato hosts 10-15% female guests. You can choose from a lot more male options.
When you encounter a male perspective that doesn’t work for you, you write off that individual, not the whole male perspective. Why? Because you have been taught that the male perspective is relatable, so it must be a problem with this one person. When you encounter a female perspective that doesn’t work for you, that confirms what you have already been taught, i.e., the female perspective is not relatable. Instead of writing off that one person, you confirm your childhood belief. In the coming year, I challenge you to find lots of female perspectives that don’t work for you and practice saying, “I don’t like the perspective of this one person, but I haven’t yet had enough experience with the female perspective overall.”
Where should you start looking for a female perspective that works for you? Well, what interests you? Do you love stocks? Maybe check out Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest. Are you excited for the college football playoff? The Sports Gossip Show has a great recent episode about all the coach drama. Do you love the TED format? Make a special effort to listen to talks from female speakers. TLDR: It will be much easier to relate to a female perspective on a topic or in a format that already works for you. If you engage in the spirit of curiosity and with the same effort as you did in fifth-grade English class, I feel confident you’ll find something you like.