I recently started working for a new company, I have the same job as I had before but a new contractor has taken over the work and so a handful of staff were transferred over, to their new office. The company itself, while being new to this particular contract, has been in business for some years, with various fingers in various other pies and so is fairly well established.
On my first day. I was sent for a Health and Safety seminar, in Manchester. Out of the five staff members being taken, and who were there with me that day, I happened to be the only female. I'm used to this. At the previous company, I was one of only 3 women in a sector of around 50 people, and it had never been something that was ever bought to my attention, we were all just 'the staff'.
For the safety seminar, our new Health and Safety manager bought us all into the boardroom for our standard policy PowerPoint presentation about the rules. We all knew what to expect, like all safety meetings this would be a 40 minute speech telling us how to not be idiots, which we all already knew, but we understand the procedure. Our Health and Safety manager started his presentation, and had given us a run down of the company history and core beliefs and was just going into office safety and employee responsibility. It was at this point that it happened.......
HSM was telling us all about how it's "down to employees to take responsibility for safety" and how "your actions can effect others around you, so it's important to think about that". He went on to say "for example if you're in the office with your tools and you put your tools in on the floor...." at which point he looked directly at me, the only woman in the room, and said "........ Or you're shopping".
.............................................
And it didn't end there, oh no no no. This guy was determined. He then went on to discuss "proper footwear", you might have expected him to discuss the importance of steel toe caps if going on site, or closed toe shoes to protect feet should anything fall on them. Oh no, this guy took a good look at my trusty brown brogues and said, "nice to see you've got a decent pair of shoes on you there love, (LOVE?)most of the others (other what? Humans?) like to walk around in silly high heels all the time and they wonder why they fall over!". Oh HA HA HA HA HA! Yes! Us women, we are relentlessly stupid fucks aren't we, it's hilarious!
On my first day. I was sent for a Health and Safety seminar, in Manchester. Out of the five staff members being taken, and who were there with me that day, I happened to be the only female. I'm used to this. At the previous company, I was one of only 3 women in a sector of around 50 people, and it had never been something that was ever bought to my attention, we were all just 'the staff'.
For the safety seminar, our new Health and Safety manager bought us all into the boardroom for our standard policy PowerPoint presentation about the rules. We all knew what to expect, like all safety meetings this would be a 40 minute speech telling us how to not be idiots, which we all already knew, but we understand the procedure. Our Health and Safety manager started his presentation, and had given us a run down of the company history and core beliefs and was just going into office safety and employee responsibility. It was at this point that it happened.......
HSM was telling us all about how it's "down to employees to take responsibility for safety" and how "your actions can effect others around you, so it's important to think about that". He went on to say "for example if you're in the office with your tools and you put your tools in on the floor...." at which point he looked directly at me, the only woman in the room, and said "........ Or you're shopping".
.............................................
And it didn't end there, oh no no no. This guy was determined. He then went on to discuss "proper footwear", you might have expected him to discuss the importance of steel toe caps if going on site, or closed toe shoes to protect feet should anything fall on them. Oh no, this guy took a good look at my trusty brown brogues and said, "nice to see you've got a decent pair of shoes on you there love, (LOVE?)most of the others (other what? Humans?) like to walk around in silly high heels all the time and they wonder why they fall over!". Oh HA HA HA HA HA! Yes! Us women, we are relentlessly stupid fucks aren't we, it's hilarious!
Not long after this, he was required to take our ID photographs, and of course, ladies first. I walked over to the blank piece of wall where the photo could be taken, stood up straight, trying, after the previous comments, to not make any fuss or draw more attention to myself. I hoped he would just take the photo so I could sit back down, but to this particular gentleman, the fact that I was a woman, just needed to be commented on as if it where some stupendous irregularity, as if I were famous or royal. I got the impression that he just couldn't get over it. Before raising the camera, he asked me if i were sure I didn't want to check my make up, because most women like to check their hair and things.
The whole scenario really put me on edge. Particularly as it was the first day in the new company, it made me very worried that this would be an ongoing problem, thankfully, this wasn't the case. I don't think this is the first time this has happened to me, but this is certainly the most uncomfortable I've ever been made to feel about being a woman. I felt like this man, had to make me aware that I was the only one there who was female, as if it were some obscenely ridiculous thing to be. I can't tell you how I reacted, I think I must have just looked shocked, because that's how I felt. He kept repeating "oh I'm not trying to be stereotypical (meaning he wasn't stereotyping me)" so I obviously didn't react in a way that he was used to. It made me really disheartened to know that he has probably been like this with other women in this company and that they had probably just laughed it off, disregarded it banter when they should have given him the same unimpressed frown I gave him for being so discriminating. I felt like my colleagues were suddenly looking at me in a different way, like my gender had previously gone unnoticed because I was one of them, and now this person had told them the big secret so they all knew I was different, that I was excluded. I realized that this is the first time I'd ever been made to feel like a minority, and I suddenly felt a rush of sympathy for anyone has ever been the odd one out.
In a day and age where everyone has gone crazy with political correctness, and equality in the workplace, I didn't expect to come across this type of old fashioned attitude. I can only think that this can only be allowed to happen if people accept it. Since this incident, I've seen this mad around the office a number of times and he avoids eye contact with me. Maybe he's like that with all women, lord knows, he certainly doesn't know how to react to them, but maybe it's because I am by far the youngest woman in the company, and possibly the first to show an utter contempt for his barefaced sexism. I would encourage others, not to laugh it off. Don't make out that it's okay, let these people know that it isn't! I don't want to come across as a bitch anymore than anyone does. I don't want people to think I can't take a joke, I can, if it IS a joke. But I would rather that these small minded, bid mouthed people who have outdated opinions think I have a rod up my arse than have them think I'm going to bend over spread my legs and take this bollocks!
Yes I am a woman, yes I work is an industry that is highly populated my men, and yes I burp out loud and tell disgusting jokes and banter with my work colleagues, but that doesn't make me 'one of the lads'. I wear dresses and skirts and lipstick, just as often as I wear trousers and brogues, because I like clothes, and because weather changes. I work bloody hard at my job....... most of the time, and I am important, people need me to turn up every day, and it pisses me off that I am made to feel like my job isn't worth doing if it's something that's so unimportant they gave it to a woman to do. It's not cool and I don't accept, no one should. Rant over.
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