It is a relief to know I'm not the only one!;) I also find I have more in common with men I just can't get interested in coversations about curtains as for shopping I hate it! Now talk to me about the court cases surrounding SCO & Linux at the moment, motor racing, the lastest gadget, games etc & I'm interested.
I have been the only female in an IT department for some time in the past & to be honnest the parent has hit the nail on the head. Sexual harrassment doesn't even cross my mind, in fact I prefere a bit of banter & a laugh round the office it makes the whole day a lot more enjoyable & if a guy did push it too far I would feel comfortable enough to let them know without complaint or being nasty.
As for actually integrating into the group generally email an invite round for people to join you for lunch, earn their respect by trying to work issues out on your own. If you become truly stuck tell them what you have done & ask them to point you in the right direction rather than for the answer (9 times out of 10 they'll give you the answer anyway).
It can be a little daunting initially, but that (at least for me) has been more because I'm starting a new job rather than the gender of my co-workers. Also don't forget you have the novelty factor, use it wisely as it does wear off!:)
My main bug-bear was I wanted to be treated as an equal rather than special treatment just because I was a girl like when boxes of servers had to be carried or placed in the racks. It was sweet of the guys to offer to do it for me, but I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself & after a while it just became annoying.:)
The easiest way I found of dealing with this is to spend a day or two just listening to the general office chat that goes on & try to raise a topic/join in the chat with a few comments (don't forget to give as good as you get), duck out for a cup of tea or cigarette when someone else is doing it to initiate a quick chat about something social or work related.
Either invite or accept an invite to the pub and puh-lease guys email an invite if you're that worried about sexual harrassment claims, but I think you'll find the majority of women are reasonable. Personally I like a bit of banter round the office, it makes working a lot more fun.
Other than that just be good at what you do. If you don't know something don't just go running to the lads, research the problem, take it as far as you can go then, unless it's urgent, while on a break (ie when it won't interfere with their work) say I have this issue, I've done this, this & this, but that hasn't fixed it. I've checked these sites/areas, but am still unable to find a fix, do you have any ideas on where else I can go? That will earn you respect because at least you tried first & you're not asking them to do your job you're asking them to point you in the right direction.
As ever the best way to deal with men is to flatter their ego so even if they are talking about paint drying try to look like you're taking an interest.;)
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It is a relief to know I'm not the only one! ;) I also find I have more in common with men I just can't get interested in coversations about curtains as for shopping I hate it! Now talk to me about the court cases surrounding SCO & Linux at the moment, motor racing, the lastest gadget, games etc & I'm interested.
I have been the only female in an IT department for some time in the past & to be honnest the parent has hit the nail on the head. Sexual harrassment doesn't even cross my mind, in fact I prefere a bit of banter & a laugh round the office it makes the whole day a lot more enjoyable & if a guy did push it too far I would feel comfortable enough to let them know without complaint or being nasty.
As for actually integrating into the group generally email an invite round for people to join you for lunch, earn their respect by trying to work issues out on your own. If you become truly stuck tell them what you have done & ask them to point you in the right direction rather than for the answer (9 times out of 10 they'll give you the answer anyway).
It can be a little daunting initially, but that (at least for me) has been more because I'm starting a new job rather than the gender of my co-workers. Also don't forget you have the novelty factor, use it wisely as it does wear off! :)
My main bug-bear was I wanted to be treated as an equal rather than special treatment just because I was a girl like when boxes of servers had to be carried or placed in the racks. It was sweet of the guys to offer to do it for me, but I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself & after a while it just became annoying. :)
The easiest way I found of dealing with this is to spend a day or two just listening to the general office chat that goes on & try to raise a topic/join in the chat with a few comments (don't forget to give as good as you get), duck out for a cup of tea or cigarette when someone else is doing it to initiate a quick chat about something social or work related.
Either invite or accept an invite to the pub and puh-lease guys email an invite if you're that worried about sexual harrassment claims, but I think you'll find the majority of women are reasonable. Personally I like a bit of banter round the office, it makes working a lot more fun.
Other than that just be good at what you do. If you don't know something don't just go running to the lads, research the problem, take it as far as you can go then, unless it's urgent, while on a break (ie when it won't interfere with their work) say I have this issue, I've done this, this & this, but that hasn't fixed it. I've checked these sites/areas, but am still unable to find a fix, do you have any ideas on where else I can go? That will earn you respect because at least you tried first & you're not asking them to do your job you're asking them to point you in the right direction.
As ever the best way to deal with men is to flatter their ego so even if they are talking about paint drying try to look like you're taking an interest. ;)