5 Tiny Ways A Lawyer Uses ‘Microfeminism’ In Her Daily Life To Show She's 'For The Girls'
It's a reminder of all the ways our daily lives are tailored towards men.
L.O.N Dslr Camera / Shutterstock Lawyer and TikTok creator Katie Wood uses her platform to share all the ways she channels “microfeminism” in her daily 9 to 5 — from email techniques to deliberate language in workplace conversations.
“Instead of standing up, burning your bra, and screaming at people, it’s little acts that make men pissed off," she explained. "It’s my favorite [expletive] thing to do.”
In an effort to provide a safer, more equitable environment for women in the workplace, she carves space out wherever she can — whether that be in a conversation, a routine meeting, or an email thread with leadership. Of course, there’s always bigger, more profound work to be done for women in the name of “feminism,” but who’s to say these micro-actions aren't just as important?
Here are the 5 tiny ways this lawyer uses ‘microfeminism’ in her daily life:
1. Always assuming she/her pronouns for leadership positions until she’s corrected
The discussion on pronouns has been an incredibly important and controversial debate in recent years; however, Wood’s take is a bit different from most popular opinions. “If someone says they have to talk to the chairperson of the board or the CEO/CFO … I will say, ‘Let me know what she says.’ Always ‘she or her’ by default,” she explained.
If she knows the person already, she will use their appropriate pronouns, but if not, she always tries to insert a woman into leadership positions.
Studies show that almost 94% of CEO positions at large companies are held by men, despite research that suggests women score better on comprehensive leadership exams and have fundamentally better managerial skills.
Of course, workplace bias is just one of the many barriers that keep women from holding positions of power — so Wood’s “women default” not only helps to challenge biases that assume women can’t be leaders but also manifests it for her peers.
2. Using the prefix ‘Ms.’ in greetings instead of ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Miss’ when speaking with women
While they might seem like a relatively normal piece of our cemented language, the use of prefixes like “Miss.” and “Mrs.” actually hold a great deal of historical significance — both in power dynamics and gender inequalities. Once a “status symbol” for women in society, the use of these prefixes reminds everyone of your relationship status in a way that’s almost become demeaning in our modern world.
“It doesn’t mean that you’re married or unmarried; it just means that you don’t know or you don’t care,” Woods said. Instead of hyperfocusing on the relationship status of a professional woman, she makes an effort to use a prefix that’s completely separate from it — which is “ms.”
It might seem like a small switch to only use a specific prefix, but Wood’s choice is informed by decades of oppression and inferiority.
3. When addressing a man and woman or writing an email, she always lists the woman’s name first
Instead of writing “Dear, John and Jane” or “Dear, Mr. and Mrs. Jones,” Wood admits she always opts for “Dear, Jane and John.” While “traditional etiquette” and professional "regulations" always preach using the husband’s or man’s name first in a greeting, Wood actively challenges that in her daily work life.
She makes an effort to always put the woman’s name first — whether it’s a formal letter, a random email, or an invitation to a meeting. For all the men angry in the comments arguing that these “small and stupid” things are more petty than helpful for women, how’d we end up here in the first place?
Photo: fizkes / Shutterstock
Some men might not even realize these small things, which is why it’s that much more important to bring them to light and emphasize the inequality many women are forced to adhere to every day.
4. Asking the men in a meeting to send over calendar invites, unless there’s a secretary or assistant on the call.
“If I’m on an email with a bunch of people who don’t outrank each other — if there’s not a secretary or an assistant — and someone has to send a calendar invite…I will ask the men in the group to send it,” Woods said.
Studies from Forbes show that many women tend to be responsible for more “office housework” tasks or administrative activities despite holding the same ranking positions as their male counterparts. They’re more likely to be asked to do these tasks, like sending calendar invites, and sometimes more likely to feel the pressure to volunteer due to deeply held stereotypical gender roles.
Actively asking men to take on these responsibilities is combating these stereotypes, ensuring that everyone in a company is pulling their weight in similar ways, even if that means doing stale administrative work.
5. Consciously affirming women’s perspectives & voices on email threads and meetings
“If a woman says something in an email thread … like doing some research and having an opinion on something and I think it’s right, but more needs to be added … I’ll affirm and then continue,” she explained. Instead of just pointing out what needs to be added or corrected, she makes sure to emphasize that they’re “correct.”
While they might not need the reassurance or affirmation that the work they’re doing is correct, valid, and important, many others in the workplace might need to hear it. With almost half of women in the workplace feeling “undervalued,” it’s important to amplify their successes — making it impossible for them to be ignored.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.