Some women elect to utilize their professional identity as a woman in a male industry to obtain what they desire to achieve. Other women elect to achieve their success based solely on their professional and academic merit. How a woman elects to lead her professional career in a male dominated industry speaks volumes about her leadership style.
See also: Leave Sex, Politics, Religion, and Social Activism out of Your Job Search and Career If You Want to Work in a Large Law Firm
A lot of highly established women that work in a male industry, like the legal industry, are bolder and more aggressive leaders in the public light. Female attorneys in leadership roles in the public light often are not afraid to give both an objective and subjective leadership style. Women that work in a male dominated industry do not hesitate to talk about some of the elephants in the room that no one wants to address that are still necessary to address. Attorneys are professionals that are trained to give both objective and subjective professional advice. Not all professionals in every industry are trained to do both successfully, effectively, and in a way that is still professionally ethical.
A lot of attorneys are often quite open about the nature of the industry and their law school experience. In my professional experience I have never been afraid to identify myself as a woman in a male industry, because it is a fact that it is still a different experience being a woman in a male industry. I think an interesting analogy to keep in mind when a woman makes a choice about how she chooses to define her professional identity in a male dominant industry relates to how you chose to mitigate the risk of a bad circumstance or unfavorable fact. You can either elect to not disclose the information until demanded to do so, which might increase the damage later, or you can mitigate the damage by disclosing the less favorable information early. That way you can address the issue in a way that you think is best instead of bringing harmful information to light through someone else's perspective that might increase the damage. You can address the challenges you face as a woman in a male industry on your own terms, or you can have someone else define the terms of your challenges and solutions. I personally am more in favor of a leadership style in which there is more managed disclosure of objective facts that are not always favorable on your terms, but that allow you to have more control over the outcome.
Ms. Tanu C. Esq. is a Seasoned Corporate Professional, Attorney, Published Writer, & Activist.
