For a while during tier 11 we had me and another officer who did everything and 3 officers who were basically just figureheads and did nothing. It only took a month of this for us to have a fairly unpleasant officer meeting which resulted in assigning the tasks more fairly. While we still had to chase up the slacking officers to make sure they did their assigned roles and we did end up with two of them accepting that they weren’t willing to put in the effort required to be officers and going back to members, the key point is that we didn’t accept their slacking I wonder if many women would not of complained until it got much worse.

Reading this article made me think of this post, for some reason and that you may just be on to something, Beru.

It is likely that it is derived from personality that is socialized in at a young age, and that while others will do it if asked, its the women who are taught when young to do the things that need to get done without having to be asked. I know that even on twitter, I have noticed that it is the female wow players that mention doing laundry, folding clothes, cleaning the house, etc, and the excitement when their S.O. makes or picks up dinner.

At this point in time in our society, this is just the way things tend to be. Whether that is ok or not is up to us to determine.

In the guild I lead (social guild with 2.5 ten man raids — I know, it’s a slightly weird transition phase at the moment) there are currently three officer posts and four “honorary officers” (i.e. they helped create and shape the guild and their opinions are held in high esteem, but they are currently inactive; if they decided to start playing again, they would probably be elevated into the officer rank again). Two of those officers are more committed to the going-ons in the guild, sometimes even more so than I am. As much of a control freak I am in other things, as long as their methods and the results they bear don’t conflict with what I think is “the way of the guild”, I happily sit back and let them do their thing.
One of the officers is more involved with the communication structure of the guild, partly because they are a very good listener and on good footing with almost everyone in the guild. The communication goes both for in game things (chit-chats with the guildies, being aware of arising guild drama before anyone else, problem-solving [if they're not involved themselves]) and things outside the game (handling news on the website/forum etc.).
Another officer is more involved with recruitment, getting people to do things, delegating and distributing work, and organising raids. They sometimes need help with that because of all the different people they delegate, and their system for the distribution of information is, at times, insufficient. “It was your job.” — “You didn’t tell me.” Things in that nature. However, that is easily fixed. I’ll simply make sure they told everyone what they are to do.
The third officer is the diplomat. They can always find an argument and are able to rationalize in any given situation, which has ended many a conflict with both sides equally appeased. When there is no conflict to be solved or argument to be formulated in the most diplomatic way possible, though, they are a really quiet member who sometimes seems very passive and uninvolved.

Next up, the raid. Of the 16 people in our roster at this moment, three have recently taken a break. One due to an injury and two due to general reluctance and finding themselves in new jobs/university studies. One of the reluctant ones had me grin my teeth especially, because they were the only one with the legendary staff almost completed. But life is life, I guess.
Of the remaining 13 raiders, four will regularly read up on strats, watch videos and make sure they know what’s awaiting them. Everyone else will just watch a video once, seemingly without paying any attention to it, if they prepare strategy-wise at all (can you tell it sometimes frustrates me?).Don’t be too shocked, we are really ‘casual’ that way, so it is less of a big deal and more of a personal quirk of mine.
Feasts and cauldrons are mostly paid out of the raid bank (as far as I can tell), and what isn’t bought is brought in by three or four committed members.
A general attitude of “show up and kill stuff two times a week” is shared by about ten of them, and (very subjective estimate) about the same amount do it for the shiny purples, not to experience content (i.e. they couldn’t care less if all the Aspects died killing Deathwing — “What? Aspects? Never heard of them.”), which, again, doesn’t sit too well with me, but whatever. I can enjoy my fill of lore while they enjoy their epics that they will leave behind when the next bosses come along.
Similarly, while a few people are really committed to let the raid happen each week, about 5 people just come raiding habitually because it’s “what they do” (meaning they log on for a few hours of raiding and aren’t seen the rest of the week for the most part), and about three couldn’t care much less if they raid or not and will only do it “so the raid can happen”. They much rather would be watching that football game (or for you people who call that game where they run around with the ball in their hands all the time “football”: soccer) or their series, but don’t want to “let down” the ‘determinate’ portion of the raid, either.

As you might have noticed, I didn’t say who was female and who was male. I did it because I don’t think that gender has anything to do with being a worker bee. I think it has anything to do with WHO you are and not with WHAT you are. I’m a control freak, so I’ll handle the things I care about myself (for the most part, see above). I’m insecure so I won’t dare to ask some people if they need help, because 1. I could stand in the way and 2. they could take offense that I think they needed help in the first place.
However, I do agree that, of the people I know, more women would be quicker to ask if they could help with anything without being asked for help. But is that because they, as women, have a finer sensibility for someone in need? Is their nurturing instinct? Or is it simply the fact that they reflect what they think to be ‘true’ because they saw it around them growing up (both at home and outside, in the house and in the media)?

A few more questions you can ask yourselves: have you, while reading, pictured single persons as male or female? If so, why do you think you did? Is it due to your upbringing, education, social contacts, experiences, expectations, or gender? Is it any one thing in particular or a mix of everything?

Food for thought. It’s not a fish feast for thought, but it’s something.

I’m the sole female officer and still one of the only women. I let the boys handle the strats and the raid leading. When people are upset about something, they come to me.

In my experience, yes, it’s the ladies who do the tedious tasks, but there have been several males to contribute mats like herbs as well. Mostly guys do contribute gold…and they make that gold by farming. They’d just rather donate gold than be seen farming.

I’ve played mostly in guilds with a very high f/m ratio (at our best about 7 slots in our 25s were filled by female players). Pure and simple, yes, men and women can be equally attached and dedicated to their guild. But in my experience the farming and tedious tasks were picked up by women.

I see the same scenario: There’s a job that has to be done by someone. GM: I don’t want to waste my time on that, who does? *silence* and more often than not a woman steps up for the short term and ends up stuck with the responsibility until they leave the guild/game.

That said generating money at the AH selling BoEs was done equally by a man and a woman.

Strats were usually done and posted by a man. Logs also done my the male officers. And they are also boring and time consuming.

Flasks, feasts? Women.

However there are some female players who most certainly would not raise their hand and offer to help. I have become one of those. I don’t even feel bad about it anymore.