My name is Bianca. I am 30 years old and live in Leipzig, Germany. For the last seven years I have been working in the insurance industry and have completed my insurance saleswoman training.
How is my life at the moment? How do I experience gender inequality?
With my clients and business colleagues I am highly regarded and am appreciated as competent and successful. The special feature in sales is that performance is measured quantitatively. The decisive factors are the number of completed contracts achieved and the size of payable insurance premiums secured.
The aim of my work is to acquire new customers. This means that I am always looking to attract companies as my partners.
Although I work successfully, I have experienced forms of unequal treatment. Amongst my colleagues it was a hard fight to be perceived in a position of power. The measurability of my performance at work has helped me. But I can remember a situation where a colleague of the same age was praised for his performance ahead of me. Even though I had sold tenfold, only my pretty face was noticed. This showed up in many situations. Instead of praise for achievement, only my appearance was addressed with comments such as “you sweeten the conversation”.
This perception changed with my first successes. With success I had it in black and white: I am highly competitive. When my appearance is addressed, I have developed the following strategy: if a man praises me for my appearance, I also praise him simply for his appearance. The reactions are amazing. Many men are surprised by the returned compliment. Some laugh, others are confused. Some men find out at that moment, maybe for the first time, how it feels to be reduced to one’s appearance.
An unequal perception can also be felt during the acquisition of new customers. It can happen that, as a woman, I will not be taken seriously. For example, when I talk with executives from a very technical industry, I will often be ridiculed, along the lines of “Little one, do you want to insure my big machines?”
How would I like my life to be? What is my vision for the future?!
I wish for a generation of strong women, capable of working efficiently and competitively. These women will be willing to reflect back to men if men behave unfairly and ignorantly.
And I hope that in the future my nieces will not have to deal with these disadvantages. I am optimistic.