Is this sexist?

[MarchInHappiness]

I work for a medium sized company, in my department there are 7 of us. 4 of us are females, the three are males (one is the manager).

We have a conference coming up and none of the females in our department have been invited, the three males have.

What really pisses me off is that, one of the males does the same job as me (we work collectively), yet he is going and I am not!.

Why don’t you ask what the selection criteria was? Seems unfair, assuming you all are full time doing same job with equal service.

Yes, sounds sexist to me.

Looks absolutely blatant!

I agree with a PP: ask your manager what the selection criteria were and why your colleague doing the same job was selected and not you.
You'll be annoyed at yourself if you let this lie.

On the face of it, yes but there could be a reasonable explanation.

How do you think the company would justify it?

Thanks, that's what I thought.

Scared to ask my manager, another colleague had an issue (totally different matter) and he basically told her to suck it up.

And there is no real selection criteria, the company has useless management (no proper HR etc), its just a bunch of old men that are the directors who decide. My colleague is fantastic, however he's the favourite.

The conference is mainly in relation to sales but this a finance department so god knows why the three males have been invited yet we have not and us females have not been.

If all the staff were female and only three of you were invited, what "ism" would you come up with then?

Maybe OP, just maybe the decision had nothing to do with being female and everyrhing to do with competency and job role.

Sounds sexist but could be hard to prove. Are the three men who are going hoping to have a 'lads trip away' do you think?

If the conference is annual will all the people who didn't go this year, be allowed to go next year? That would be a fair solution if everyone can't go every year. What has happened in previous years?

yes, sounds pretty sexist to me.

Can you sidestep your manager and ask whoever is arranging this conference why you haven't been invited? And then look for another job?

If it's a sales conference, I expect the men are going as it's essentially a piss up!

aren't women allowed to go on piss-ups then? I've been to many a sales conference and got pissed, I'm a woman.

If all the staff were female and only three of you were invited, what "ism" would you come up with then?

But that's not the case, is it? Away with your strawman.

Is golf involved?

DH used to organise these 'networking events' and women were never invited, I don't think they were even asked if they could play golf.

oh, can't women play golf anymore? Must let FIL's DP know she's been wrong to do so all these years.

@rivertam obviously women love a piss up too! But the industry I used to work in was v male dominated and very much a 'boys club' mentality! Sad but true!

so, sexist then? As the OP was asking?