Welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.
Does Utah have a workplace sexism problem? Susan Madsen, director of Utah State University’s Women & Leadership Project, says yes — and she has a name for it: “masculine defaults.”
It’s gender bias so embedded in workplace culture that most Utahns don’t even see it. But thousands do feel it. Women take notes at meetings they lead. Men get promoted for self-promotion. Women get backlash for the same thing. Self-reliance and assertiveness get rewarded while collaboration and warmth get penalized.
The data backs it up. Through thousands of interviews, Madsen’s team found patterns: differential pay, harassment, exclusion from decisions, barriers to advancement.
And Utah’s particularly susceptible. One woman told Madsen’s team: “ I had never felt gender-based discrimination until moving to Utah. It was quite striking to be so easily dismissed.”
The fix? Madsen stresses the first step to addressing the problem is recognizing the defaults exist. “When we bring the unconscious to consciousness,” she writes, “we can all do better. Read her full piece on what Utah workplaces can do to change.
And let me know: Have you experienced this in your workplace? What did it look/feel like?
Utah Voices
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The neighborhood in St. George, which would be the eastern access point for the proposed Northern Corridor Highway, is pictured on June 12, 2024.
How I am fighting to keep a legal treatment for my chronic, debilitating pain
“A blanket kratom ban would severely impact my life and the lives of so many other Utahns who rely on the whole-plant product every day,” writes Lora Romney, of Layton. “If the state proceeds with this misguided enforcement action, the consequences could be catastrophic. Law-abiding natural kratom users could be punished, and people like me would be forced back into a life of pain, isolation and confinement.”
“Now proponents of the Northern Corridor have effectively created a rift between those who work to protect Red Cliffs Zone 3 and those who recreate on Zone 6, a new zone added to the original five zones,” writes Lisa Rutherford, of Ivins. “This is a sad indictment of local officials. They had to know that creating Zone 6, which includes Moe’s Valley, a popular recreation area with a significant tortoise population, would be a way of getting people on their side in this battle. And, it’s been effective.”
The current Congress has made itself an irrelevant institution
“Our congressional delegation stands with Donald Trump on everything, including priorities which place financing Argentina’s economy above making health care affordable for Americans,” writes Michael Budig, of Salt Lake City. “Trump is committing to shoveling $20 to $40 billion to bail out Argentina’s economy, while failing to find $35 billion to continue health care subsidies for Americans for the next year. So, Trump considers Argentina’s economy more important than healthcare for Americans.”
I’m a Republican. Here’s why I participated in the “No Kings” protest.
“I was one of the seven million Americans who participated in the Oct. 18, “No Kings” protest against President Trump. He rules like a king,” writes Russel Patterson, of West Valley City. “He claims national emergencies so he can rule by executive order. He attacks those who don’t agree with him.“
No explanation of why throwing $3 million, so far, for renovations is worth tossing out with the garbage,” writes Charlotte Kuhn, of Sandy. “Dea Theadore, as the chair, and Aimee Winder Newton, as the senior advisor to Gov. Cox and director of the Office of Families, you are showing such disrespect to a population who desperately need, not only our respect, but our commitment to assisting them to remain as independent and functional as possible.”
Share Your Perspective
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy checks out a drone at Rainmaker in Salt Lake City, on Nov. 7.
Amidst ongoing regional drought, cloud seeding technology has grown popular in Utah.
However, recently some on the right have called cloud seeding into question. To be fair, the practice of spraying chemicals into the sky does seem like something worth understanding.
So what are your thoughts on cloud seeding? Worth the squeeze? Or potentially harmful? Let us know!
From Bagley’s Desk
Pat Bagley | The Other Jackboot
Drop Us a Note
We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, ideas and solutions that’ll move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop us a note at voices@sltrib.com.