Most people that know me would say that I am a patient person. Recently while attending a meeting for a project I’m working on, that patience was tested. A man that I work with kept interrupting another woman and I every time we spoke. At first I thought it must have been an accident and I let it go. I attempted to continue expressing my thoughts after he finished interrupting. However, it KEPT happening. I noticed the other woman get quiet. It seemed as though she took the interruptions personally.

Soon thereafter, I was reminded that this was not an isolated experience. In a 2014 study at George Washington University on communication behaviors, the men who participated in that study interrupted women 33 percent more often than when they were talking with men.* This may not seem like the biggest deal but when you’re in a meeting trying to get a point across, the last thing you want is to be cut short. Sometimes I see men interrupt women as a way to assert their power and some women, like the one I work with, are discouraged from speaking. Another study, “Can an Angry Woman Get Ahead?” concluded that men who became angry were rewarded, but that angry women were seen as incompetent and unworthy of power in the workplace.** Angry men are seen as “passionate” and guys who will “do whatever it takes.” Women who do the exact same thing will be labeled as “emotional.” Unfortunately, gender biases have been a part of our culture and still permeate our social lives.

Often, women in the workplace can’t even speak out about these issues or the subsequent feelings of frustration because they fear being reprimanded.  So what’s a woman to do?

For me, losing my voice is not an option. I want to be heard but I also want to maintain my professionalism while being liked. I’m sure the man in my meeting meant no harm; he had a thought and just decided to jump in. Once I got used to his habit of interrupting me, I would politely say something like, “I was right in the middle of a point, but you can have the floor as soon as I’m done,” and then continue on with what I was saying. Once politely called out most of the time it will put an end to any rudeness.

In order to have this kind of poise and balance, it is important to have faith in yourself. The more confident you are and the more you are able to identify the bad behavior of other people, the less these things will bother you. As women, it is important to never feel like you have to be more “like a man” to do well in business. Women have amazing unique “feminine” qualities that make us exceptional. We are limitlessly creative, empathic communicators, and we tend to do well under pressure. Yes – there are reasons to be afraid. But there are more reasons to speak up, stand out, and contribute. So be assertive, and fearlessly embrace power of your voice.

* Why Men Interrupt Women
The Universal Phenomenon of Men Interrupting Women