I love this headline:
In a nutshell, Gelman co-founded a startup that was a private club intended to be a safe space, exclusively for women, to use a workspace free from men. A place where women could flourish and be creative.
Turns out, Gelman is just as abusive, demeaning, and hostile as any man.
This is more evidence that what it takes to be a multimillionaire CEO is to be a psychopathic, abusive asshole who is willing to stomp on people all the way to to top.
The reason there are fewer women CEOs isn’t sexism as much as there are fewer women who have this sort of ruthless psychopathy.
Also, it makes me feel less bad that I’m not a millionaire millennial, because I’m not that sort of person. If rather share credit and work in an environment with comradery than be the richest guy in a hostile work environment.
Good post, JkB.
I would like to mention, though, that there are probably just as many women psychopaths as men; they are about 4% of the worlds population. They may pursue different paths in their psychopathy than men, perhaps.
Dr. Martha Stout’s early book, “The Sociopath Next Door,” lays out a great introduction to the topic. Her more recent book, “Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door,” contains new research that indicates that sociopathy is likely caused by a specific brain defect, present at birth. Hence the congruency with the assertion that psychopaths are born that way, and will never change.
She also has lots of advice as to how to deal with sociopaths in the workplace and in relationships, well as advice for unfortunate parents who have children with sociopathic traits.
She also discusses the differences between sociopathy and narcissism, which I was unaware of. Both types can ruin people, but dealing with narcissists is somewhat different from dealing with sociopaths.
There is hope that one day, we can diagnose and treat the brain defect in infancy. Wouldn’t that be a boon for mankind if we could eliminate that trait for all time!
Your post about a woman boss who was dreadful to her employees seems to fit the description of sociopathic bosses.
Love “Gun Free Zone!” My first read of the day, for many years.
Would it really be good for humanity as a whole to eliminate psychopaths? Their presence might be a net good.
Perhaps better to identify and help them learn restraint.
In have studied psychopaths for a long time. I was stalked by one and it scared me. How could everyone else not see what I was seeing?
I am aware that there are many women psychopaths. Psychopaths prey on those weaker than themselves. With female psychopaths, they often abuse children or the elderly. You frequently find female psychopaths as care takers.
The ruthless male boss who fires everyone just before Christmas to get an end of year bonus for himself is a psychopath. I don’t see evidence that women psychopaths are attracted to business they way men are. They have different outlets for their psychopathy.
“…there are fewer women who have this sort of ruthless psychopathy.”
[Citation needed]
😀
I said “perhaps.”
Female psychopaths are less attracted to business (rutheless CEO) and are more attracted to other outlets. Female psychopaths often abuse children.
“So you’re saying capitalism is awful and socialism is awesome? Finally!” – Some Idiot
I’m not sure that follows. Not all CEO-types are in businesses. Many are government officials. I’d bet that there are more sociopathic CEO personalities on the government payroll than in the private sector, due to the Peter Principle. The process of advancing to CEO in a business is far more Darwinian than advancement in either nonprofits or government. By that, I mean that the private sector selects for competence, at some level, in addition to, apparently, assholery, while government doesn’t necessarily select for competence, and, in my experience, nonprofits allow more opportunities to advance to well beyond one’s level of competence.
YMMV, of course…