9 Stereotypes That Still Exist Today About Women In Power

They are man-eaters

It’s a fact, powerful women are money-hungry women who take pleasure in attacking their male preys. False. Women aren’t sex fiends or slaves to their sexual desires.

‘You don’t become powerful unless you have desire. Behind every person in power, there is a notion of desire which people often confuse with sexuality,’ explained psychoanalyst Sophie Cadalen to the French magazine, Cheek.

‘When men play with their sexuality, they are consequently seen as conquerers,’ while women on the other hand are seen as ‘man-eaters’.

They are unpredictable

In the world of work, women are unpredictable creatures. It’s true, they can fall pregnant, decide to keep the baby and then forget to or put off signing some important documents… Well, rest assured, just like all men, women know how to distinguish between work and their family lives.

They bully their colleagues

Whether we’re looking at fictional characters like Miranda from ‘Devil Wears Prada’ or even more well-known real-life examples such as Margaret Thatcher, women in power aren’t always as strict, harsh and confrontational as the stereotypes suggest. They’re not as ruthless as you think and not all women in power have that classic ‘iron fist’ we associate them with.

They have an inferiority complex

In the halls, at the coffee machine or even by the water cooler, we always consider women who have managed to rise up through the ranks to be women with strong inferiority complexes. Wrong again. In order to work your way up to the top when you are a woman, all you need is a lot of personal ambition.

They are just part of a quota

Ah, equality. A word that is so often confused or misunderstood. Most of the time, it is used to demean the presence of women who have worked their way up to significant positions of power. Women in politics are often victims of this stereotype and prejudice. However, just like male politicians, they are actually selected via an election process. No quotas to fill here.

They are quite manly

It’s a well-known fact that women in power are more manly than most other women. Or at least, they become this way as a result of being in a man’s world. However, ‘power' doesn’t necessarily mean ‘virility’. Women can move mountains, but ‘the more they want something, the more they are looked down on. As if wanting something wasn’t acceptable and was something that was only reserved for men,’ explained Sophie Cadalen.

They do not fulfil their motherly duties

‘Women have to take care of their children!’ Sexism is still quite apparent in society and even now in the 21st century, we keep coming back to these same observations. It seems it is still up to women to make the big decisions when it comes to their children, while her husband or partner can happily swan off towards his destiny and goals with nothing holding him back.

They use sex as a weapon

‘Today, being attractive is quite complicated. Take Rachida Dati and NKM for example, who have long been accused of overdoing it. But the question is whether they are actually overdoing it if we compare them to others, such as Jack Lang, who always look impeccable and are always dressed to the nines?' the psychoanalyst asked her colleagues. Being attractive and successful is not necessarily connected like it is for the casting couch.

It’s all about appearances

For men, all they have to do is spray themselves with some deodorant and boom, they have a job! For women in power, they need to be more thoughtful and conscious of their wardrobe and beauty choices because dress codes are very different for the two genders. For example, they need to find a hairstyle which doesn’t look too strict, but is also the right level of professional, heels that are high enough but that they are still able to walk in and they also need to wear the right amount of makeup without looking vulgar or like a clown… In other words, there is an endless list of things to take into account for women which, if not respected, would be met with judgement and condescension.

According to a report carried out by the French institution known as the Superior Council for Professional Equality between men and women back in 2016, 80% of women who work in the world of economics regularly have to deal with sexist attitudes and comments at work.

For more information, check out the video above.