"'Bossy' Is 'Bitch' on Training Wheels"

NAWL Member Kathleen Wu of Andrews Kurth LLP in Dallas, Texas writes, "Back in November 2011, I wrote a Texas Lawyer column titled Banishing the Word 'Bossy' From Women's Vocabularies, proposing that women think twice before using the word 'bossy.' My thinking was that, since people apply the word almost exclusively to females, it punishes us for behavior that is either tolerated or applauded in males. In other words, 'bossy' is 'bitch' on training wheels. 'Bossy' discourages young girls from doing anything—speaking up, organizing others, delegating tasks, etc.—that might brand them with the 'bossy' label. That propensity for hanging back lingers into adulthood, creating women who tend not to speak up in meetings, negotiate for raises or seek out leadership positions that could advance their careers.... Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed that the word 'bossy' is a problem. Earlier this year, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, teamed with the Girl Scouts to launch the 'Ban Bossy' campaign." Read more>>