What’s In a Name: More Than We Know

At the end of 2009, a blogger who writes under the name of James Chartrand made a big announcement: he is actually a she. Because of the trouble Chartrand (who is continuing to write under that name and has not released a more feminine moniker) had landing work as a freelance writer under her actual name, she made a conscious decision to not only use a male pseudonym but to make sure that, at least on the surface, she came off as masculine as possible. Chartrand’s site, which both offers a blog and her writing services, is called Men With Pens. It’s illustrated with plenty of pictures of scantily-clad women (at least on posts prior to Chartrand’s announcement) and includes posts about topics like why mommy bloggers should be more accepting of men.

Was Chartrand Right?

There are two very easy responses to Chartrand’s decision to adopt a male persona for the purpose of attracting clients. You might say that she needed to do just that — women still don’t have equal standing in the business world and she evened the odds in the best way she could think of. You might also say that she essentially lied to her clients and if she had stuck with looking for clients as herself a little longer or with a little more confidence she would have been fine.

The truth of the situation is far more complex. I’ve had experiences from the time that I started out as a professional writer that would lend themselves to either argument about Chartrand’s decision. I’ve worked with many clients who really didn’t care about the chromosomes of the writer putting together copy for them. I’ve worked with clients who were very surprised to learn that I’m a woman — between the fact that I work with my clients primarily through email and the name ‘Thursday’ isn’t really gender-specific.

Is There Gender Equality for Business Owners?

I’ve never knowingly lost out on landing a client due to my gender and my fees are just as high as male writers I know. But I can’t tell you how much my name has helped me. All I can say is that I’m confidant in my work. I’ll keep taking gigs from clients who refer to me as Mr. Bram — and I’ll keep laughing about it. However, I may start thinking a little bit more about why they feel that a good writer, as well as a good business owner, should have a Y chromosome.

There is discrimination out there that you will face as a business owner, whether you operate online or off. It’s not just a question of gender, either. There is still discrimination on the basis of anything that may set each of us apart. Changing names is no guarantee that you won’t run across a client with a problem based on your pseudonym.

Image by Flickr user eszter

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