Refusal (Personal Story)

During my internship in the US. My indian boss had invited the company and major clients to a christmas party at the local country club. A certain dress code was mandatory. I had a wonderful evening until one of his clients from India, had asked me for a dance. Me, shy and I did not dance much by that time, refused. I felt instantly that I have done a mistake, did not know if I have chosen the wrong words. But his face became neutral to angry. Now I know that the situation was due to a different cultural habit. In my German culture, it is a free choice and pretty normal for a woman to have the option to say no. In Indian the same situation is interpreted differently and the role of a woman if quite differnt. Both indian men have not really been particularly happy about the situation, but I did not face any consequence. However, every time I hear "country club" nowaday, I have to remember the story and I learned a lot from it.

 

Underlying Hofstede dimension: Masculinity vs Femininity  Click the link for an explanation!


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