In this day and age! A thread for unbelievably obvious examples of sexism.

I noticed that, but the cyclist was just "the cyclist" (no actual idea if cyclist was woman or man). Makes me think there are maybe reasons...can't think what

Lighter: man comes to advise and quote on new boiler. Admittedly, appointment was arranged by dh but he was not here so I was the one he dealt with. He talks ne through it all then leaves a brochure and says, "when your husband has decided which one he wants, get him to call me."

It actually made me laugh, but it shouldn't.

Not so light: I was disturbed by all the news coverage of the family killed in France recently. Throughout, the two women were referred to only in the context of him ie his name and they were his wife and mil.

I've only had good experiences with my local Toyota dealer, just to balance things out.

However I was a bit pissed off with my solicitors recently. We decided to write our wills, I looked into finding a solicitor, made contact, made appointments, sorted out all the information, took DH along with me, dealt with all the further correspondence, getting them signed etc. Six months later a letter from the solicitors announcing a change of address or something, addressed only to DH. Grrr. I am going to email them about this.

We recently had solar heating - quite expensive. Company man to me.."savings rates are so low it's a good investment of your husband's salary".

Cue me = "Whatever" and resigned shrug.

Husband is retired. The solar heating was paid for out of the profits from my business.

Sometimes, you really really can't be arsed......

Dh recently got a letter with a new card to pay his council tax on to replace the old one. Bit confusing as both of us are on the council tax bills (me first I think) and neither of us as ever had a card - we pay online. Not sure if it was sexism or just incompetence.

Have also been gurning with alternating amusement and (horrified) amazement whilst reading this thread. Silly to be amazed, though, since most experiences described here are commonplace enough - and of the sort that usually leave me thinking 'WTF? Was it something I said? Something I did?'...

But Uppercut - what's really the point of your contribution to this thread? Are you trying to say that if women aren't extra vigilant all the time to second guess and compensate for other people's stupidity then they've got only themselves to blame for sexist slights, insults, etc?

John Lewis once refused to let me get my fridge freezer repaired because I didn't have permission from my husband. Upon investigation it was because Dr Boffin had bought it (i.e. me) and they assumed this would be a man. I made a big complaint about that. It had been a woman on the end of the phone, as well.

DH has many stories of the suspicious looks he got as a SAHD.

You might like to post your stories here

On a positive note, my DH has ordered a good few things for the house lately and has used "Dr Dana" on the orders showoff. All the delivery/workmen have assumed I'm the doctor :) One (very stereotypical workman type) even asked me to look at his foot! I had to explain I wasn't a doctor, and my DH isn't that type of doctor so he was on a hiding to nothing .

Not so encouraging is the fact that when I go out with my SAHD friend and his daughter, people always assume we're a couple and either that our children are twins,despite the fact that they couldn't look more different than each other, or that we are both single parents who are now together and raising our children together. Either way it is assumed that I am responsible for both children and that the friend is just in the background, because he's a man. No one can seem to get their head around that 1) we are friends, not a couple 2) my friend is a SAHD who does all the normal things like going out to the park and soft play with other SAHPs and 3) despite being a woman I don't in fact make all the decisions for all the children in my vicinity and that if something needs to be sorted for my friend's child then I am not the person to ask, her actual factual parent, who is standing right there, and who is perfectly competent, is the person in charge. I feel sorry for my friend really. He is a fantastic SAHD yet wherever he goes he is sort of invisible.

That he made a statement rather than asking a question does not prove, or even suggest, he was being sexist. "I have a delivery/parcel for..." is hardly an unusual opening line for a delivery person.

Uppercut if it had to be handed directly to Dr. smith I would have expected delivery guy to say "are you Dr. Smith?" like anyone who didn't have a complete blank on the idea that woman in front of them could be the person they were looking for.

Wigeon
"A female friend answered the door to a delivery driver with a parcel recently:

Delivery man: I've got a parcel for Dr Smith
Friend: I'll take it
Delivery man: But it's for Dr Smith. When would be good to arrange a re-delivery?
Friend: No, it's ok, I'll take it
Delivery man:
Friend: Because I am Dr Smith

Friend: 1, Delivery man: 0 "

Delivery man: I've got a parcel for Dr Smith
Friend: I'll take it Yes, that's me.

Err, if you don't identify yourself in the first instance what do you expect to happen?

At one of my ante natal classes we were told that while in early labour we could pack our husband's hospital bag for him.

A female friend answered the door to a delivery driver with a parcel recently:

Delivery man: I've got a parcel for Dr Smith
Friend: I'll take it
Delivery man: But it's for Dr Smith. When would be good to arrange a re-delivery?
Friend: No, it's ok, I'll take it
Delivery man:
Friend: Because I am Dr Smith

Friend: 1, Delivery man: 0

dd1 took part in an activity which involved decorating t-shirts. Most of the children had their whole families there. At the end the leader of the activity addressed us all, saying "Mums: you will need to seal this with a hot iron and greaseproof paper..." my heart sank, not at first because I noticed the sexism, but at having another thing to fit in over the weekend. Then I thought, "or maybe the dads could do it?"
This kind of relates to the "influenced by social pressure" thread because my heart is always sinking, in a small way, but repeatedly, by a continual involuntary monitoring of my domestic inadequacies (I WOH full time) in a way that passes DP blithely by (SAHD and part time freelance earner)

Hmmmm, every advert on TV for washing up liquid, washing powder, householder cleaners, cooking ingredients, children's products.

I think the ones that piss me off the most are those (for example, Kinder eggs) where they talk about things being 'approved by mums'. WHAT ABOUT DADS? Feeding my child is not solely my responsibility. My OH helped make him too.

C'mon ladies, what are you doing chatting online? Don't you know there are houses to be cleand and children to be reared.