Men at work referring to woman as "it"

[tothebeachplease]

I work in a predominantly male environment and the conversations are really quite vile about women but it's male to male conversation and I keep myself to myself at work.
I have learned to ignore it mostly because I need to concentrate on what I'm doing but AIBU to think it's really not ok that everytime they talk about a woman whoever it is they refer to them as "it"?
Not her, she, them just "it" and yes it is all of them.

Absolutely vile misogyny. Do you have an HR manager you could make a formal complaint to?

That's really unusual (as far as I know) and obviously quite grim. Are there any other women at your workspace at all? If so I would ask them if they had noticed it as well and would like to discuss next steps.

Oh that is disgusting.
Absolutely misogynistic anachronistic vile language.
You shouldn't have to put up with that. Agree with pp you should raise the issue with HR or senior management.

Are you a member of a union @tothebeachplease ?

I worked in pubs and bars in my younger years and you really get to hear the derogatory way men talk about women and what you're describing here sounds very mild for men.
Saddest part is when men put women down even other women laugh along with them.

I work with 90% men and can't believe you ensue this disgusting behaviour. Please report to your manager or hr if it's a big organisation.

It's not ok, and neither is their constant vile conversations about women.

Is it the kind of workplace where you have HR and management? Do you feel able to challenge this behaviour with line management?

You need to complain about this - it’s disgusting.

I don't have a union but the manager and boss are male and I really don't want to make myself unpopular so I'd rather not be the butt of their jokes.

Do you work in an industry that is regulated by a body? If so I’d be on to them

Do they also use this type of language? Or do they hear it and condone it by not saying anything?

This is grim!

I think if you're going to work in a male dominated industry that's what you're going to expect.
I work on the front desk in a garage and I can hear the mechanics in the back and there's a lot of banter.
I enjoy my job though so I don't let it get to me, it's not all the time surely.

No it shouldn't be something just to expect and put up with! Bloody hell, is it the 1970s again??

No one should have to put up with language like that.
It is a form of bullying in the work place. Making sure women know their place.
It's quite sad that women are still conditioned to accept this type of behaviour.

Oh really? So we should expect men to all be women hating pieces of shit who can’t even treat us as human? And not only that, we should just accept it and not make a fuss, because boys will be boys? Have I got that right?

Agree, yet you’ll see women here sometimes moaning that there’s so much hate for men on MN! They clearly have no idea what hate actually looks like.

It's not to woman's faces, it's more when they're talking about women in general which seems to be most of the time or about their partners/wives or famous woman or someone they know.
For example one says what a woman said another says
I'd tell it ...
or It probably thinks ...
Or look at the ... on it.
And of course there the sexual what they'd do to it.
And once when wondering who's wife, I heard who's is that bit of stuff?
Talking about it to a manager isn't an option as they are well aware of their conversations and laugh along especially if it's a famous person etc.
I just find it disgusting but I really don't think anyone thinks they're doing anything wrong because that's just how they talk.

I know it's time to look for another job but I don't know if it'll be any better somewhere else.

Is there no management structure above your male manager who joins in? Any HR dept? Or is it too small an organisation for that?

I have worked in male-dominated environments and it has not been like that. These men have been enabled and emboldened due to no one (no other man perhaps, sadly) picking up on it and stamping it out.

It's a form of sexual harassment, for them to make continual references to sex in the work place. urgh.

https://www.acas.org.uk/sexual-harassment
This is quite informative.

You only have to read some of the comments on fb posts by men (sorry kings as they calls themselves now) to see how normalised it's become.
There's lots of strong independent woman slurs.
Woman are either, gold diggers, entitled, desperate, whores, users, teases or trying to screw men over.
Most men telling other men to avoid woman on these basis and judging them as for the street then moaning that they can't have the sex they feel entitled to.

There's strength in numbers. Have you discussed this at all with other women at work? It might strengthen your resolve and make you feel less isolated there. Perhaps you can make a plan to go to management together.

No we are 51% of the population so I do not expect this.

I work in tech, male dominated and if any of them spoke like this they would get a warning then fired

Vile. Start referring to them as ‘it’ or take it to a tribunal if your manager or the HR Team do nothing about it, it’s almost guaranteed you’d win.

Disgusting and I would report it to HR. Would they refer to Jewish, black or disabled people as 'it'?