Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars

An interesting perspective for today to consider ...

Talking to a colleague from my Directors Course, Jenny*, from the financial services industry, she had this to tell me about age perspectives...

Travelling to and from home to work, Jenny has the wonderful priviledge to commute by ferry across Sydney Harbour.  She notices that the men on board are tired, listless, bored and just "over it".  Jenny is 49, a marketing degree qualified professional full of vim and zest for life, and she believes that men at this "pivot age" present themselves as "done and over it", whereas women are the exact opposite.

"How so?" I asked?

Well women are far more nuturing and supportive of each other - maybe part of their motherly nature?  They are excited by the prospect of professional work in their "hinter years" after potentially child raising in between gaining their professional qualifications and returning to the work force. (I also know enough professional women that never had kids - and they are full of beans!)

Whereas men are not - we've been in it for the long haul with no break (unless forced upon us).  Jenny mentioned a recent women's only networking event where two former  recently retrenched executives were invited and fully introduced and welcomed into the event with a view to finding them a new job/role - how refreshing! I thought, does this happen with men?

To be honest, I don't know!  I'm not a "go to the pub" kind of guy and socialising around alcohol has never really been my thing (is that possibly why I'm out of work? because I don't fit into the "mens" scene?).  I've not personally witnessed this supportive nature in my male colleagues at work or industry associations.

This has got me thinking now as the notion that an over 45 year old male is "tired and over it" is not new, I've heard this in the few job interviews I've been fortunate to front in recent times.

So my challenge is how to challenge and confront this perception - I can't deny it doesn't exist, given I've now had a number of data points to validate it - so how to nullify / neutralise this view so that as a "mature age worker", and a male at that - I need to be seen as full of life, vim, and ready to take on the next challenge - and not to be put out to pasture!

I'll ponder this, and welcome your ideas / comments.....

Enjoy your day!
Dom