Are you a Female Project Manager? How do you succeed in a male dominated industry?

Hi Eric! That’s very interesting strategy however it basically says to prepare exit doors, then push and if things don’t happen then leave. When women push for promotion or salary increase it is perceived differently than when men do the same. Women are not seen as strong or decisive, they are seen as too emotional, pushy, difficult to get on with. And this can backfire easily.

I would focus more on female leadership aspects and use benefits that comes from the way how women approach situations. In other words, I would not fight fire with fire. I know that it can be very frustrating by delivering good work and not getting recognition. But recognition comes with respect. And we can get respect even in environment dominated by male. When we are outnumbered we are also much more recognizable and rememberable. And then our success lasts.

I was once short-term interim trainer for automotive, I was training the whole country dealership network to introduce new car models on the European market. I was on an event with hundreds of people attending, the only female trainer ever. I worked very very hard to be able to deliver. My work was measured by several scores, I reached the top.
At the beginning people were approaching me with disbelief that i really exist - a female trainer. Then they learned my results. They were impressed and I got their respect. But who will they remember from that event? Army of men, equally successful, or the only female trainer?

Hello Lenka,

You were in a situation where many people could see your good work; no one could conceal your efforts. What do you suggest women do when their work won’t be seen by others? I’m thinking in particular of women who work in organizations where some man above her is the visible face a department or division. These women are essentially faceless workers whose efforts make the man look good, but who remain unknown to people outside their immediate group. Such women can’t advance unless the man lets them, and he has no desire to promote workers who benefit him so much. In this situation I think a woman’s only recourse is to assert herself to get an advancement in her current company, or leave for a better opportunity.
Men describe women as emotional, pushy, and difficult to get on with just to intimidate them into meekly accepting subservient roles, and they will continue to use this tactic so long as it remains effective. I watched my former boss experience this for years. She was very competent and worked ridiculously hard, while her complete buffoon of a boss sat around and did little. She was so terrified of seeming pushy and demanding that she let him dump tons of his work on her, and she barely said a word in complaint. I think she rationalized this by telling herself her efforts would be rewarded one day, but I believe deep down she knows that’ll never happen. She remains in the same situation to this day, and likely will until she retires. I wish she would quit and join an organization that appreciates her; I'd love to see the horror on her boss' face as his free ride came to a very abrupt end.
I’m just giving my insider perspective of the situation. Misogynists are not going to develop a grudging respect for women, so trying to gradually win them over isn’t a feasible option. Such men have no qualms about lying to and manipulating women to keep them in inferior positions, so unless women who work for such men change their current situations or find new ones, their careers will be limited.

Hi Eric, that particular situation that I described was not that simple. But it was work for a client and I don’t want to put out details here publicly. Also, if I would fail, it would be recognized massively as confirmation that women has no place in such business.
In general I don’t agree that women can be made invisible by anyone. In your example when a boss makes a certain woman invisible, what would stop him from making a man invisible? There’s no difference. If that’s a bad boss, they can make recognition, reward or promotion hard for anyone working for them.
But then it depends on what a person wants and what risks are they willing to take. Man or woman. Sometimes you need to leave a company to get better job. Sometimes you need to fight to stand your case. Being a woman brings some things more difficult, like being perceived by others differently than men, but on the other hand women have capabilities that can be used in their advantage, like better listening skills, ability to grasp complex issues, connecting the dots, appreciation for soft values and finding ways how to encourage others.
What I’m saying is that women are not powerless but we need to find our way how to succeed and not try to win the men fights with their weapons. This approach is based on my experience and lessons learned. I’m in men dominated environment since high school (mathematics), I was one of 2 girls to 200 men in my college courses (Computer sciences), I joined management consultancy combined with IT and on and on. Others may have different experience and handled situations differently. We are all different. I just share my opinion not making it general truth.