Chauvenism and ...
NaeNae55
3,243 Posts
Since Whatever tried to get a women's topic going and the men bombed it, I thought I might try again. But since the truth is that any topic, including chauvenism, affects us all, I am not sure that we can actually make one work.
So here goes: What work experiences have you had with chauvenism, or any other kind of unfair bias, that made your job more difficult? What did you do about it? Men, please feel free to join in and tell us when you had someone assume you were incompetent because of your sex (at work! at work!).
So here goes: What work experiences have you had with chauvenism, or any other kind of unfair bias, that made your job more difficult? What did you do about it? Men, please feel free to join in and tell us when you had someone assume you were incompetent because of your sex (at work! at work!).
Comments
Can you say.................. LAWSUIT!!!!
The one male boss that I had used to give all of the administrative tasks to my female counter part. I'm sure that was a form of chauvenism.
Of course the good ending to the story is that I have now worked more than 9 years with the same company and am presently the employee relations manager. But the chauvinism against me NEVER being able to break out of my former occupation was incredible.
I also worked in a bank once where a group of tellers decided that the lone male in their department was gay and therefore he "must have aids" correct? They would do such things as spray the telephone with Lysol after he used it.
He, too, stood it for about a couple of months until he hated to come to work. He told me why he was leaving and I went down to the teller department and told them how ignorant they were and that I was ashamed of them.
I have found that generally women tend to be horrible to each other in the work place - nice to the face and backstabbing behind the scenes. Men can be chauvanistic, but I find this is changing a lot (maybe I am naive). I've never really had much of a problem relating to men - they usually say what they feel and then it's over whereas women tend to hold a grudge until the end of time.
>were real bull dykes and enjoyed it.
Bull dykes?? What an interesting choice of terms in a thread about chauvinism.
Turns out he was an irritating, timewasting windbag who thought that sort of 'charm' closed sales. He underperformed his way off our payroll rather efficiently and I was always grateful that because of that incident he never came windbagging at me!
Not related to employment chauvenism, but, when I was first married (almost 30 years ago) we applied for a home loan. I was told they wouldn't consider any of my earnings because I was female. Less than a year later, they would consider only half of my earnings. We qualified, got the loan and -surprise- we're still in the same PAID FOR home.
When interviewed for my first "adult" job in 1974, I had just been married a couple of weeks. They were very concerned about when I thought we would begin to have children. They would be surprised to find out it took nearly ten years. Too bad - they missed out on a great employee.
At my current employer, I discovered I was pregnant some 20 yrs. ago. I had just transferred to the position of Sales Secretary. The female Director of Sales found out I was pregnant and asked me to step back to my previous position, secretary in a another department. I did so without a whimper, but was insulted and peaved. She lasted a few months. I will celebrate (?) my 24 year employment anniversary next Wednesday. Wonder where she is now?
Just for a chuckle. Today at lunch, I was eating with our Comptroller. All of the (very large and noisy) Housekeeping Department had eaten earlier and gone. The Maintenance crew had eaten and gone. One lone Housekeeper was eating by herself. A very mild-mannered, quiet Maintenance man returned to clear his dishes and asked, matter of factly to the Housekeeper, "why hadn't she eaten with the rest of the horde?" I didn't hear the "d", I heard an "s". Someone performed the Heimlech manuever on me and I double checked with the Housekeeper to ascertain her reaction. The person I was eating with reacted to what must have been my mouth dropping on the table and I explained what I thought I heard. Thank goodness I was wrong. I couldn't imagine him saying that or the other two women not reacting.
It's amazing to me how women used to be (and still are in some cases) treated in the workplace! Thanks for sharing, I now have a better appreciation for my boss and the people I work with .
The manager worked nearby my cubicle, and stopped a little too frequently and I was starting to get uncomfortable. He asked me if I liked to lay out in the sun. He said he would be more than happy, anytime, to come outside to the backyard and help apply sunscreen. He asked if my husband was in sports and would be gone often.
I quickly found another apartment and had to tell my husband only that I didn't want to move there afterall. (My husband would be in jail if he knew the situation.) The people at work heard about me "changing my mind" and thought it was pretty low because this manager had cleared out some old furniture, etc so he could help us out. My family thought I was nuts for demanding, on short notice, that we change our mind. I wish I would have had more guts to push the issue back then rather than pretend that it never happened.
as I think you said once... "don't get your pants in a bunch"!!!!
x}>
When I worked at corporate HR for a baking company about 10 years ago, I was conducting "Workers' Comp 101" session for all of our plant management groups. At the time, I reported to the Chief Financial Officer (the guy I've mentioned before who told his female staff accountant that if she planned to have a baby that year, he wouldn't be giving her a raise). He never came to one of my presentations, but he scoffed at my ability to do them. He told me that all I was was an attractive young lady in a miniskirt, trying to get a message across to a bunch of old bread men. He further explained, "You'd never see a pretty girl standing in a commercial for a Ford F-100 pounding on the hood saying, 'Buy this truck' - no one would pay any attention - unless, or course, she was wearing a bikini. That type of message needs to be delivered by a real man in a flannel shirt and cowboy hat to be believable."
On my current job, I replaced a male predecessor who lasted only six months. Going through some files shortly after I started, I came across the interview notes from when he was hired. The initial screening was done by an elderly female recruiter, and the next interview was done by the middle-aged female division HR person. Her notes included the following: "Where are all the female candidates? This job is going to require lots of reporting and correspondence - a female will be much more satisfied with a desk-type job than a man will." Anyway, the male that they hired at that time was totally ineffective - he spent all of his time sitting at his desk, thinking lofty thoughts, and avoiding getting involved with employees. They fired him, and hired me - I spend as little time at my desk as necessary, and management and the employees are thrilled to have a hands-on HR manager. BTW, the division HR manager will be assuming the VP position when the current male VP retires in January - hope she doesn't give much direction to the less experienced HR people in the plants!
>when someone would say "Thanks Dear" - my typicaly respone was "Your
>Welcome Antelope" - that prevented most from calling me dear. The
>older I get the more Dear doesn't bother me. (Well depends on who says
>it). I to will be more thankful for the people I work for and with.
In the "South", it used to be "sweetheart", "sugah" and "honey" that women were called. I haven't noticed this as much lately.
I remember one of my first jobs was working downtown at a law office and I would take the mail to the corner mailbox several times a day. I remember an elderly gentleman that I would encounter from time to time toddling down the street with his cane and taking his mail to the same mailbox. I often asked him if I could take the mail for him and he would always tip his hat and say "thank you dear". I always thought he was kinda sweet, but maybe he was really a lech that just enjoyed looking at my teenaged legs in a mini-skirt.
Gillian: At least the guy didn't say, "We're looking for someone not quite so senior with perhaps a non-Brittish accent". Then he would have REALLY fired you up! x:-)
Sonny: What would you say if the young interviewer told you he was "Looking for a gal with a few less miles on her; someone who has been around the coffe pot and can order pizza too"? Never mind. Never mind. I know.