I had half an ear in and out of BBC radio 4’s Woman’s Hour today but I was a little concerned that Martha Carney seemed to deride one of the contributors for her ‘love and nurturing’ comment. This women was evidently a little stuck for words and she was saying that women in the construction industry try to behave like men to get on but there was no need. They should not lose their ability to nurture. She nearly got there because she did talk about male and female, Yin and Yang.
I think what she meant to express was that we do not have to become more aggressive, overly direct or unemotional simply because some of us work in a male dominated environment. It is possible to maintain femininity (not girlishness or flirtatiousness but female attributes) while still having gravitas. I relate this to authenticity. If we are true to our core selves then our behaviours become authentic and as long as we are displaying valuable traits then they can be valued accordingly.