Examples needed please

The old predictable office sexism examples of being spoken over in meetings, having men having a brilliant idea that you said 5 minutes previously and the expectation of being the default meeting organiser, note taker and sorter of refreshments. Oh and office social glue for cards, collections, Christmas parties, etc.

I’m more vocal about pointing these things out but it doesn’t stop it happening in the first place. Even in 2026 the unspoken expectation is for women to be passive, supporting and nurturing in a professional environment.

Erasure of women from medical services

Cervix havers
Chest feeders
Birthing parents

Today Waitrose removed the category of feminine products from period products because one of their staff advised that men have periods. Nope. 👎🏻

I also have a very personal one that I'm happy to put my name to for you privately, and I would come to the hearing for you and say it in person, where I consulted a nephrologist about blood in my urine and he openly disbelieved that I knew which orifice of my own body I was bleeding from. My eventual diagnosis explained everything, but it didn't come from him.

Being with anyone, and they are everywhere, and they are men and women, who repeatedly refer to any professional whose sex they do not know as "he".

Did your vet change a lot for jabs? Is he any good?

Where is your surgeon operating on your hip? Who recommended him to you?

I don't like that designer house, he's one of those minimalist architects, isn't he?

What is this pilot doing!? He must be drunk.

It's absolutely constantly.

You could even take a recording with people out in the street and use it to illustrate just how many people assume professional = man.

I’m afraid I have quite a few:

A woman I’d never met was noticeably aggressive with me in a meeting. (Her peers apologized and said she was just like that.)

When I mentioned it to her manager he told me that we must have a personal problem and that women often cannot get along. Literally never met or dealt with this woman in my life.

Not being believed by doctors.

Being asked by a man outside of my department, at the same organizational level to schedule a meeting for him. Then being cut out of the meeting by him when I replied “my calendar is up to date so I’ll let you arrange a time that works for you.”

This was about a question he had about an area that I manage. He went to my boss, my boss also felt he was being demeaning to me, but was fine to cut me out of the discussion.

Does that sound unhinged of me?