[Petra]

I am also an engineer, working mostly with men. I don’t know if its because the working culture is different here in Scandinavia, but I don’t see ‘bitchy’ women a problem here. Rather, which sometimes is even worse, we’re supposed to be ‘buddies’ at work, like just men in womens’ clothes or something. We’re supposed to talk like guys do, to laugh at dull jokes, many only wear trousers. Of course, it’s sometimes relaxing when you don’t have to fit in a old-fashioned sex role, and it makes you feel like you’re accepted as one of the team, as equal. I think that’s what the male engineers want, to show that we’re accepted and that they are modern men respecting the (strict, I think) Finnish equality legislation and culture. But, I think that is not the whole truth: they do not want to face the ‘challenge’ of females. They start feeling uncomfortable when I or some other women sometimes react differently to something, in a way that is in my opinion natural to females. This is a little bit difficult to explain… but I think I should have the right to be myself, meaning just a woman among men, other things equal: wear skirt and makeup (which I do), not to be forced to hear tasteless jokes, etc. One reason is that Finnish males are not taught normal politeness. In my opinion, it is good that people generally talk their mind straight rather than behind someone’s back, but good manners still kind of acknowledge the other person’s humanity. Am I right? What do you think? I spent last summer working in France and things were different there and I started thinking. It was just until I came back to Finland I didn’t realize what was irritating me here. Men often literally slam the door to your face in Helsinki and seldom help your coat off. I loved to be a woman in France, even if the culture sometimes was just too chauvinist; we should perhaps find a middle way in the working culture?

User Detail :  

Name : Petra, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 23, City : Helsinki, State : NA, Country : Finland, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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