Manager/ess

[whatnow41]

To be instantly put off a job advert when the job title is advertised as Manager/ess?

What century is it? And what else does the company have 'old fashioned values' about?

Yes, I agree, that's off putting

YANBU.

I wouldn't give a toss

Hideously old fashioned, would definitely make me think twice.

Definitely old fashioned. Wouldn’t put me off if I fancied the job, or needed a job.

Very off putting. Will they insist you wear a skirt? Call you Miss? Expect you to make the tea/coffee?

I don't get it. If it is a manager's job what else would they call it? Is it the 'ess' you don't like?

It’s the ess. No way would I apply for that job.

Sorry, I don't really see the problem either. Do you think that they should just advertise for a manager then, and not make it obvious to us more old fashioned woman, that they are actually looking for either a man or a woman? They probably legally have to word it like that, as most jobs have to be open to both men and women, and using the manager/ess formula surely does that very simply? Or is it that you think it should have said " male or female manager required", or "female manager or male manager required"?

I presume that the name "wo man" is also insulting, and that referring to the Homosapien species as "Man" is also not acceptable? I am not trying to be sarky or anything like that, I just truly don't understand the problem (just like I don't understand that actresses nowadays want to be called actors as well, I just don't get it)? (and) As a woman who is proud to be a woman, I don't see how adding "ress" to masculine terms, is degrading to us - as wo men we are actually adding to a male term, because we women do add to the Homosapien species, we are a positive! In all seriousness I can't get het-up about such terminology, but if I really should be, can someone please explain to me, why?

Sorry again, I meant "ess" not "ress", I don't know how that little bugger of an "r" managed to cross over - so to speak!

Yes, I'd find it quite telling and off-putting. Manageress 🤣 I feel like I haven't heard or read that word since about 1985.

@HeartvsBrain

Sorry, I don't really see the problem either. Do you think that they should just advertise for a manager then, and not make it obvious to us more old fashioned woman, that they are actually looking for either a man or a woman? They probably legally have to word it like that, as most jobs have to be open to both men and women, and using the manager/ess formula surely does that very simply? Or is it that you think it should have said " male or female manager required", or "female manager or male manager required"?

I presume that the name "wo man" is also insulting, and that referring to the Homosapien species as "Man" is also not acceptable? I am not trying to be sarky or anything like that, I just truly don't understand the problem (just like I don't understand that actresses nowadays want to be called actors as well, I just don't get it)? (and) As a woman who is proud to be a woman, I don't see how adding "ress" to masculine terms, is degrading to us - as wo men we are actually adding to a male term, because we women do add to the Homosapien species, we are a positive! In all seriousness I can't get het-up about such terminology, but if I really should be, can someone please explain to me, why?

If you saw a job advert for a ‘manager’ would you seriously think you were excluded from applying as a woman?

Ha! I clicked on this thread as it annoyed me so glad to see it was about how annoying it is!

HeartvsBrain - so if someone was advertising for a Waiter you'd assume they wanted a man? There is no need to differentiate when using a job role. Eg. Firefighter instead of fireman/woman

Anyway, shouldn't it be a Womanager?

How would they cope with employing a Director. Directoress? DirectHer?

Funny that you never see the NHS advertising for Doctoresses. Yet my local GP practice consists of all female doctors. Gyno Practitioners.

Maybe Director is the female. A male would be a Directhim.

Ffs

Laughing at the idea they’d be legally required to put manager/ess

What was the job? I can honestly say I have never seen such an advert, even in the days when the term manageress was used, the adverts were still for managers.

HeartsvBrains please tell me you're being satirical.

No the ess isn't necessary at all. It does look dated. I would assume the ad had been regurgitated a million times or that it had been posted by someone a bit old-fashioned. It wouldn't put me off applying for a job that looked like a good move by itself. Everyone cocks up sometimes.

It's 36 years since I graduated, worked in industry all that time and I have never heard/seen the term 'manageress' used

I would not care. It seems like an actual attempt to make job adverts female friendly. There was a recent study saying masculine terms like “manager” or “Officer” or “agent” put women off applying for the job.

So yes,, manageress is a bit old fashioned but they are st least trying and it says women are welcome.

There was a recent study saying masculine terms like “manager” or “Officer” or “agent” put women off applying for the job.

I know there's been a lot of research on the impact of 'masculine' language in job adverts and the impact it has on women. But I've never seen those words on any lists of 'masculine' words. This is an area of particular interest to me, can you link me to that specific research please?

I was a bank manager in the late 1980s. I had a (female) friend who insisted on referring to me as manageress and it was all kinds of wrong then. Shoe shops and cafes did have manageresses at that time though.