Sick of gender quota jokes/remarks

[liviii]

I recently got offered a place on a graduate scheme for a tech giant. The job description stated that candidates from a STEM background were preferred. When I attended the assessment centre I was the only female out of 12 candidates- mos applicants were Engineering students.

My brother, cousin and boyfriend have all "jokingly" commented that I was probably given the job due to some gender quota. Every time they say it it really pisses me off as I feel it undermines so many of my accomplishments. I remember pointing out that fact at the assessment centre (as I was genuinely surprised) and some guy told me it would benefit me. I have no idea what the company's policy is re quotas but I wouldn't have hired had they not deemed me competent/capable.

AIBU to feel a bit pissed off. I know I'm being sensitive.

Of course you will have colleagues who think like that, but equally you will have colleagues who recognise you for your achievements and qualifications. Seek out female mentors.

Read www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Power-Professor-Mary-Beard/dp/1788160606/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&crid=3KLPVQPJAE0TH&keywords=mary+beard&sprefix=mary+beard%2Caps%2C174&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1552509628&sr=8-1 Women and Power

You probably were the best person for the job but STEM roles generally are subject to gender quotas. Especially if it comes with any sort of govt funding.

It's not nice to be teased by your family for it though, whether it's true in this case or not.

STEM roles generally are subject to gender quotas

I've work3d in a STEM role over 30 years and never come across a hint of a 'quota'.

Maybe they exist in the state sector, I'm curious as to whether you know any specific examples.

Although referring predominantly to Australian academia, this gives a good insight into gender quotas.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/phys.org/news/2018-08-gender-quotas-equity-academia.amp

To my mind, this is not a bad thing!

You have better qualifications than the competition, and as the evidence shows, this is not enough to give women equal share of voice in high earning careers, then yes, if quotas are what it takes to fight against ingrained sexism, bring it on.

Any meritocracy remarks fall over on the research on ingrained sexism.

Another example: In interviews where women were walked through offices full of men, with pictures of men in positions of power along the walls, neither the interviewer nor interviewee could visualise females being successful in the organisation so the interview didn't go well.

Swap the offices for an even balance of women and men and pictures of women on the walls and the outcome of the interview was entirely different.

Only 6% of the staff in my workplace are female against an industry average of 9%. It’s depressing. I’m in state sector and I can confirm there is no quota, recruitment is on merit, qualification and experience. We have linked into a Female working group of one of our close industry “relatives” and launched our own group and are working hard to promote our sector in appropriate publications and recruitment fairs to try and increase applications from women. This is helping but our next big challenge is retention. We are losing women faster than men. And it’s attitudes like the OP has discovered that I think is one of our biggest hurdles.

IMO targets are preferable to quotas as such, because then it's a matter of choosing the woman (or in general, a person from an underrepresented group) if, but only if, they are at least as well qualified as the majority group candidates. My understanding is that targets are ok in U.K. employment law, quotas wouldn't be. It's quite an important distinction, and gives the lie to the 'you only got it because you're a woman' whine. No, you got it because you were an equally good candidate as the other front runners.

I don't think you're being oversensitive. Are you otherwise a good match with your boyfriend? He doesn't sound very supportive.

I hate playing the "gender card" as I prefer just to get on with things but it was great to have a reality check. Still, no one wants to feel like they've been given something they haven't earned fairly, not a great feeling to know people may hold this view in regards to me. All I can do is show that I've earned my place.

Readytogogogo Ordinarily my boyfriend is very supportive but he does become a bit immature when around my brother and cousin who enjoy ribbing me.

You are not playing the gender card. You just happen to have beaten the odds and made it despite things being stacked against you. If there was truly no bias, you would have been at the assessment centre with 5 other women. You were the best of the best. That pushes you ahead of all of the males at the interview.