Women & ANGER
At the recent Mortgage Bankers Convention I watched as a male CEO
introduced the members of his
staff that had accompanied him.
The first two were men whom he
introduced as important members
of his team. The third member
was a woman and was introduced
as a SVP of Operations. The CEO then went on to
say, “I brought her because she does the best job of
keeping my calendar.” The woman’s face turned red
and her demeanor hardened. It was very easy to see
that she was angry and embarrassed at the comment,
but she neither said nor did anything. Would a man
in this situation have reacted the same way? Should
this woman have reacted differently; and if she had, at
what cost to her position in the organization?
One of the most difficult issues any woman in the
workplace faces is anger. When faced with situa-
tions such as the one described above, is it better for
her to express that anger or say nothing and let the
anger dissipate on its own? Are women doomed to
be known as emotional or hysterical if they become
angry at work? Why is it acceptable for men to raise
their voice, continue to display their anger through
pounding desks or screaming at employees, and still
be considered “strong” managers? These questions
seem to persist even though women are entering
senior positions in all areas of public life, including
business management. Are women doomed to offer-
ing only smiles and side comments when in fact the
situation they are facing is professionally frustrating
and hurtful?
UNDERSTANDING ANGER
So what is anger? Is it an internal emotion or the
physical actions that occur when one becomes over-
By Becky Walzak
