If someone avoids certain social situations or conversations out of anxiety that women might suddenly think they are awful, might that not say more about them than about women?
When people talk about accusations of sexism like they are a hidden landmine someone might accidentally step on, it makes me wonder about the person's soft skills. Not just the inability to have insight into what might come off as sexist, but also a lack of experience in how to respond when one makes a mistake and does something sexist.
If you want to be able to talk openly and honestly with someone and give feedback, you should build a relationship with them so there is mutual trust and respect.
Ideally you don't have a fixed outcome or solution in mind when you talk with them about the issue, other than helping them make the best decision regarding the issue. If you think you know what's best without discussing it with someone and getting their thoughts, you are arguably disrespecting them.
If you can't have that sort of conversation, at the very least you need to lay out your reasoning and experience when giving feedback.
Preferably you do both, using both a past constructive relationship and your reasoning to discuss an issue and talk about potential solutions that they can decide on.
Otherwise you aren't providing constructive feedback, you are just giving your opinion.
This assumes all parties acting in good faith. A single bad actor can override years of good faith because the cost of an accusation is so great. Whether that accusation is substantiated or not, it can ruin a person's career. So yes, it can be a hidden landmine because the conversations that ensue are not always rational.
When people talk about accusations of sexism like they are a hidden landmine someone might accidentally step on, it makes me wonder about the person's soft skills. Not just the inability to have insight into what might come off as sexist, but also a lack of experience in how to respond when one makes a mistake and does something sexist.
If you want to be able to talk openly and honestly with someone and give feedback, you should build a relationship with them so there is mutual trust and respect.
Ideally you don't have a fixed outcome or solution in mind when you talk with them about the issue, other than helping them make the best decision regarding the issue. If you think you know what's best without discussing it with someone and getting their thoughts, you are arguably disrespecting them.
If you can't have that sort of conversation, at the very least you need to lay out your reasoning and experience when giving feedback.
Preferably you do both, using both a past constructive relationship and your reasoning to discuss an issue and talk about potential solutions that they can decide on.
Otherwise you aren't providing constructive feedback, you are just giving your opinion.