The neck tie that binds both men and women
A lot has been made of the common men’s neck tie, still de rigueur in the corporate workplace and yet lambasted by many for what it resembles, both physically and symbolically - a noose.
But the neck tie also has unwittingly tripped up the feminist movement as well. Rather than burning their bras, feminists should have burned what was really holding their corporate climb back - and still does - men’s neck ties.
The true glass ceiling is the common male neck tie.
Women attempted suiting up -including wearing a tie - to match their male counterparts, and this was colloquially referred to as “power dressing”. But this passed as not much more than a fad. A woman is accepted in suits but if she puts a tie on she is too intimidating.
There is no doubt about a woman’s ability to match a man in any corporate job but the man still has the upper hand in power dressing, simply because of a piece of fabric dangling around his neck. No wonder they can be so expensive.
If three equally skilled and experienced people, one man in a suit and tie, one man in a suit only and one woman in a suit (jacket and skirt), went for a corporate role in an organization that expected it’s men to wear ties (as most still do), the man in the suit and tie would have the edge over the other two.
Thus, it is what hangs around a man’s neck that gives men the edge over women in the corporate environment. Women cannot dress equally with men unless men loose the neck tie.
There is much power in the little piece of cloth, yet it also is a source of power for a boss over his employee, symbolizing a noose that threatens and constricts a man’s dream of freedom and independence.
For the good of men and women, burn the neck tie.
necktie
