How Identity Has Influenced a Biology Project Manager at HELIX Environmental Planning's Career
Katie, a Biology Project Manager, finds that while her workplace is generally understanding and empathetic, interactions with outside contractors often involve "misogynistic and chauvinistic opinions," requiring a thick skin and consistent, confident communication to overcome biases. This approach, built on "facts and proving them wrong," builds trust with clients and agencies, ultimately neutralizing attempts to undermine their work.
Project Management, Communication, Resilience, Overcoming Challenges, Workplace Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Katie Duffield
Biology Project Manager
HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Biology & Related Sciences
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Operations and Project Management
Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Highlight 1: Navigating diverse professional environments. Katie highlights the contrast between the inclusive culture within her company and the less understanding attitudes she encounters from external contractors, including misogynistic behavior and disregard for her expertise due to her gender. This speaks to the realities of gender bias in certain professional fields and the need to develop strategies to navigate such challenges.
2. Highlight 2: Building trust and credibility. Katie emphasizes the importance of building trust and credibility with clients and agencies to counter negative experiences with contractors who dismiss her because of her gender. Her consistent communication and confident demeanor have earned her the trust needed to defuse situations and have complaints against her dismissed.
3. Highlight 3: Responding to bias with professionalism. Katie describes the frustration of facing bias and limitations on expressing anger or frustration, as emotional responses can be easily dismissed as unprofessional. She advocates for a strategy of calmly providing facts and evidence to prove her points and counteract bias.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a woman, how has that impacted the way you've navigated your career?
In environmental settings, we are all very sensitive and understanding, empathetic to different situations for different genders, races, sexual identity, personal identity, whatever. But then you get outside of that understanding bubble.
I deal with contractors a lot who are not the most understanding, not the most PC. I'm learning how to navigate their very different opinions, which are often misogynistic and chauvinistic. They sometimes speak to women that way, or make unwanted sexual advances or comments.
It's definitely calloused me a little bit. I've learned not to take it in, just kind of let it roll off my back. At the end of the day, what they're saying doesn't change who I am or what I do.
It is incredibly frustrating to have people think they can push me around, lie to me, try to trick me, or make inappropriate comments because I'm a woman. They might not listen to me or the directions I'm giving because I'm a woman.
But through my consistent communication, the way I present myself, and being a trusted person to my clients and agencies, when those people try to complain or say something about me, it's automatically brushed off. People think, "That can't be true because we know who this person is, we trust them, and we know they wouldn't be doing those things."
If I come to them with a concern saying, "Hey, this person has a problem," they automatically trust me because of the confidence I've given them in who I am as a person. Sometimes it's really frustrating that you can't respond back in kind.
But it's also really satisfying when you can respond and explain to them how they are wrong while keeping calm and maintaining a level head. It is unfortunate that as a woman, you can't match that same level of aggression because then you're perceived as emotional and crazy. It's often more satisfying to just give facts and prove them wrong.