Mentality
Despite feminism and the Soviet past, where women worked equally with men, but were not exempted from the obligation to be ideal wives and mothers, the role of women in Russian business is very mixed. Men were not ready to share the business with the weak sex, so they often do not take women seriously. Those women who decided to start their own business, faced with the fact that men treat them disdainfully and with disbelief. If they get the opportunity to see the competence and high intelligence of a woman, they call her a man in a skirt, consider a bitch and just shy away.
Women are even more categorical in their assessments. Those representatives of the fair sex who consider it their duty to improve in the kitchen and bring up a large number of offspring, assure that not a single normal woman who is happy in family life will not come to mind to be distracted from the family for something else. Others are opposed to successful women, if they themselves have not achieved anything. Women's dislike for businesswoman can be explained by both envy and fear that more successful, secured and confident will become too serious a competitor in the fight for male attention.
How to survive?
It is much harder for a businessman to survive in a man's world, to keep his peace of mind and remain feminine. But there are several ways to bypass sharp corners.
First , do not be like men, playing by the male rules. If you are a woman who has a business, then, probably, you have more competitors among men. They act in their own way, more harshly and openly. It is unlikely that a woman will be able to adopt male habits and feel comfortable at the same time. But even if you manage to master the male style of management, then the risk of earning a label of a man in a skirt is great. So stay yourself - soft, gentle, beautiful. Women are more flexible, they adapt more easily to new circumstances and find ways to solve various problems more quickly. Use these strengths - men will have nothing to oppose them, so all their actions will be predictable.
Secondly , be attuned to cooperation, not confrontation. You can not do business alone, you will have employees, customers, partners, and competitors. All of them will be of different sex, and you must remember that strong successful women do not always cause admiration in others. Do not provoke anyone to envy, do not try to justify your mistakes and mistakes by the fact that you are a woman. Learn to negotiate and find a compromise, this will become one of your greatest strengths.
Thirdly , do not forget that the work does not compensate for the lack of personal life. those women who do not have a family or permanent relationships, often break down and behave incorrectly, because a sense of dissatisfaction prevents them from doing business with a cold head. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of going on dates, and if you already have a family, make an effort to keep it. Those Russian businesswomen who are happy in marriage are much stronger than their lonely colleagues, because they have a serious support and an incentive for new achievements.
Russian women in Russian business are very different from business women in America and Europe. Our compatriots are not as feminized as foreign women, they are in more difficult conditions and are forced to resist negative emotions. It is important not to be afraid of achieving success, not to sacrifice your opportunities for the sake of the opinion of others. If you manage to keep your sensitivity, you will always have well-wishers, than enemies and difficulties in doing business will be much less than for more obstinate women.