Leave it to a man to not understand the discrimination women in the workplace experience. Leave it to a man to simply not listen.

Gabe Johnson, a twice unsuccessful ‘Ohana Coalition candidate, signed a March 1 letter to the editor misrepresenting my criticism of Keani Rawlins-Fernandez for crying during a council hearing. I stated that women have suffered for years from the stereotype (by men) that women are too emotional to be rational, therefore are not good in leadership positions. That stereotype was reinforced when she couldn’t control her emotions after excoriating director nominee David Goode.

Women, especially those in high-profile positions, should exhibit strength.

On behalf of women who still experience salary disparity for doing the same job as a man, who fail get promoted when equally qualified, who are held to a higher standard than male counterparts, who may be subject to sexual harassment, who daily encounter the nuances of the glass ceiling but continue to act professionally in the workplace, I stand by my words and thank them. In spite of emotional outbursts exhibited by Rawlins-Fernandez, we’ve come a long way.

Madge Schaefer

Kihei