2011-2012 school year: small talk at a professional development

I took a Feminist Theory class in college and I remember reading an article about women in business. The article talked about how, although women had made great strides in the workforce, there were inevitably going to be areas where they’d be marginalized. One of those areas was small talk… the fifteen minutes before the meeting when everyone shoots the breeze and, in theory, talk about typical “MAN” things like… I don’t know, sports and fixing cars?

Since my interests don’t often skew toward the typically manly, my understanding of this concept was complete. I myself am mystified when I find myself in a group of males and they start chatting about football… just as I am perplexed at trying to ingratiate myself into a conversation about blue topaz.