#1 “‘Soo… What’s your deal?’”

"I've been made very aware of the line between being ‘friends with’ and ‘too friendly’ with coworkers. At a company happy hour, a male colleague (who is considerably more senior) once repeatedly asked about my personal relationship status and implicitly asked whether I'd be open to anything with him — ‘soo...what's your deal?’ Shocked and horrified, I quickly rejected his offer. The next few weeks were painfully uncomfortable — as I bumped into him in hallways and communal areas, he completely ignored and pretended I wasn't there.

Why does the burden fall on me to repair this professional relationship? Why do I have to be concerned with career-impacting repercussions when other men acts out of line? Why do women have to constantly balance ‘culturally fitting in with the team’ (because it reflects negatively when we don't) and dealing with unwanted attention (which also causes adverse consequences for us)?"