“… you will never see as many great women traders as men”.
Tudor Jones is the founder of Tudor Investment Corporation, a hedge fund company. In 2012, he ranked No. 330 on the list of the world’s wealthiest people with an estimated wealth of $3.4 billion.
So what would make the father of three daughters think such a thing? In one word: Children. Tudor Jones specifically alluded to breastfeeding as being one of the main reasons, citing that “… as soon as that baby’s lips touch that girl’s bosom, forget it.”
Don’t worry men. He’s got something offensive for you too.
In a different discussion, Tudor Jones stated that if you have a male money manager with children is going through a divorce, you should ask for your money back immediately. “You can automatically subtract 10% to 20% from any manager when he is going through a divorce.”
Why Is There Still Gender Inequality in the Workplace?
Obviously I don’t agree with this clown. Billionaire or not, this is a pretty bold thing to put out there. I’m only highlighting these statements for how ridiculous and out of place they are in today’s society where time and time again people of all backgrounds have proven that anything is possible.
Whether the breastfeeding or divorce comment bothers you more, this whole thing hinges on the opinion that you won’t be able to “focus” once important things start happening in your personal life.
So is that why we have gender inequality in the workplace? On the assumption that wives and mothers will always put their children first before their job?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t we all? In this day and age where companies lay people off left and right from professional right down to the layperson, what sense would it make to prioritize a job before your children? It’s my belief that having children is a very personal choice that we all have to make. But once you have them, you better make sure you have your priorities straight and do everything you can to raise them as best as you can.
So does that mean that the act of having kids makes you damaged goods as far as being a productive employee goes? Absolutely not; that’s preposterous. However, unfortunately even in 2013 we still have to deal with people in high positions that make these narrow minded judgments about the extent of our capabilities and ambitions to do well.
So that begs the question: Do our employers have any right to judge us based on what is going on in our personal lives? We would say that they don’t, but as this article points out, they clearly make decisions based on far less than professional opinion. What do you think?
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Image courtesy of Rotten eCards
Children or no children, everyone should just do their job. As long as you’re doing your job effectively it shouldn’t matter if you’re male, female, black, white, married, single, a parent etc.
Surprising that in 2013 people (bosses especially) can still make ignorant comments like that, isn’t it?
The glass ceiling remains a huge issue in most fields, as you point. Recent legislature is taking very slow steps to reduce this deficit.
I think the glass ceiling is the dirty little secret for most businesses still ran by close-minded individuals. Unfortunately its getting harder and harder to prove and progress is not moving very swiftly in that regard.
I’ve been discriminated against as a woman and it’s total BS. It’s hard to fully grasp how real it is until it happens to you. More women need to stand up and fight for their rights and equal pay and not be scared or think that things have to stay this way.
That’s really too bad. I always cringe when I see those reports showing how much more men get paid than women to do the same job. It really doesn’t seem to have any real basis.
Ummm…wow. This guy is a piece of work.
Regardless of whether or not a person is a male or a female, is going through a personal situation, or any thing else, I think you need to look for somebody who has a professional attitude. Whenever difficulties arise, a true professional can always fall back on professionalism and do their job.
Nothing like pouring salt on the wound, right? Let’s treat this professional like garbage while he or she is going through a really challenging time in their life! Let’s pretend like they are damaged goods and no longer able to perform their job as good or better than anyone else. Give me a break!!
I’ve seen it both ways, and I totally agree with Holly. Professional people will deliver regardless of what’s going on in their personal life. Likely you won’t even know something is going on. I have on amazingly wonderful employee whose husband went into a complete reality break due to bipolar disorder and had to be hospitalized. She actually had to flee because she was afraid he might harm her. I never found out until long after the fact when he had been treated and was better. Never said a word. Then I’ve had employees who can’t do anything because their mother in law didn’t invite them for dinner. It all depends on the person.
I’ve worked with similar people who have just upped and left without a trace. I totally agree that you just never know what’s going on in someone else’s life. But how that person deals with it at work may surprise us, and we shouldn’t be so quick to judge or write them off.
I think this still applies in many professions. Most stats that I have seen still seem to indicate that women make less than men for the same job. In the year 2013, that is ridiculous.
Completely. In a lot of ways it is still a man’s world and the playing field has a long ways to go before it is even.
There is no gender equality as such. How could be it? Two different genders by the definition. There is less women in the coal mines, or garbage collectors or brick layers.
There is different allowance for manual lifting at work. Nobody is fighting when women got recognition for their difference, if it is to their advantage.
Well man got their advantages and weaknesses too. It is only natural. Even birth – if a women have three kids, it means at least 5 years off her career development written off.
You can not compensate for it. It is a natural thing to do.
Employers have no right to do so, but they are humans, so they do. You can not stop them. But I think personal life reflects on our performance and helps to understand personality of the worker as well.
I can understand different jobs for different people; some careers will always be gender oriented. But being a stock trader is a career field that could clearly be for a man or woman. And yet this guy openly thinks less of women because they would rather give their children priority over his stock trades. What you’ve got here is someone that has backwards priorities and unrealistic expectations about performance.
I agree with what you saying. However as we appreciate difernce between the genders, perhaps there is differences as well.
Above mentioned example is very dramatic and somewhat inflated. But w are trying to judge that person perception. Believe you me, in the financial world if you could perform better and make more money – the jobis yours. When the output is equal – personal references kicks in..and very little could be done about it. People will just simply learn how to hide them.
Believe me – as a manager myself I can tell you that bias always plays a role in our perception and attitudes towards individuals. At the end of the day, what you accomplish is sometimes irrelevant. Sometimes it is all about who you are and how I “feel” about you. And right or wrong, people do it in a very sneaky and political way, so no one ever catches them on it.