‘Bro culture’ far from tamed in the office, women say
Many are skeptical that their complaints will make a dent
SAN FRANCISCO Women are hopeful bro culture could be mortally wounded, but they aren’t quite prepping for its funeral.
“Bro culture,” the exclusionary, male-centric vibe at some companies that has led to a spate of powerful men such as Uber CEO Travis Kalanick losing high-profile roles, is under heavy assault.
A younger generation of women is speaking more openly about what they experience in the workplace, and some companies such as Apple and Microsoft have responded to criticism on issues such as equal pay with efforts to address the disparities.
The shift has resulted in a string of repercussions that have made men think twice about their behavior.
However, many women remain skeptical that their complaints — and the recent outcomes — will make a dent in what they view as long-standing issues of inequality and harassment in the business world. “Will people stop sending memos about what kind of sex is appropriate at a company party? Likely,” says Jessica Rovello, CEO of interactive content company Arkadium, referring to a memo that Kalanick once wrote. “But will this change the way people operate? Probably not.”
Ingrained male habits die hard, Rovello says, recalling countless meetings where, as the only woman in the room, questions she asked were answered with the speaker addressing a male colleague.
The word “bro” is a white appropriation of the African-American greeting derived from “brother.” But as a term describing an ethos, bro culture has come to represent a testosteronecharged group reminiscent of a frat house and for some harks back to powerful white privilege that has caused women and minorities to struggle for equality since the founding of the country.
At its core, bro culture aims to create a space where boys can be boys, says Michael Kimmel, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University and author of Angry White Men: Masculinity at the End of an Era.
“It’s a reaction against the entry of women into virtually every public space, which they see as an invasion,” he says. “Once upon a time, every place was a locker room.”
Kimmel also warns of a toxic byproduct of this culture that extends beyond women. Men who aren’t drawn to the code — the teasing, the boasting, the drinking — can be pressured to “compromise their own values in the name of fitting it with bros,” he says, adding that the pressure to conform can be intense.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which battled Wall Street on the behalf of women decades ago, says women continue to come forward even though the agency hasn’t filed any major financial industry sex-discrimination cases in New York City in recent years.
“That doesn’t mean similar discrimination is not occurring. We certainly have continued to see allegations like that,” says Raechel Adams, an EEOC supervisory trial attorney.
One in four women reported experiencing “sexual harassment” in the workplace, according to a June 2016 EEOC report on workplace harassment.
Additionally, almost 60% of women surveyed reported some form of gender harassment.
Criticism of bro culture isn’t limited to the tech industry. New York-based “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, who was convicted Aug. 4 on three securities fraud charges in an investment case, separately has been criticized over his treatment of women.
Freelance writer Lauren Duca early this year reported that Shkreli harassed her after she criticized President Trump in a 2016 TeenVogue opinion piece. Shkreli trolled Duca online, writing he had “a small crush” on her and inviting her to be his date for the presidential inauguration.
“When work becomes a masculinity contest, whether it’s measuring the hours you’re working or the pay you’re making, then often hitting on the women in the office is just another metric of your success there,” says Joan Williams, a professor at Hastings College of Law and founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law.
“Once upon a time, every place was a locker room.” Michael Kimmel, author of Angry White Men: Masculinity at the End of an Era