While I am a woman who worked in a Man's Job for around 25 years, and wore a dark colored business suit (with pulled back hair, and glasses) - now without my Suit - I am again treated as "lesser than a man" in many situations including home buying and repairs.
A. With an expensive home I had built many years ago in an Ohio lakeside community, I was assumed to have a good job and money - but not at all knowledgeable in home construction, so my home was built with over 50 building code violations and ended up with toxic mold from inferior materials used.
When I filed a lawsuit, the builders attorneys tried to make me out as a witch-bitch-emotional-sexual- female to the male courts. I responded by hanging a large yellow banner across my house which said The house had over 50 Building Code Violations, and I Was Billed for Extras I Did Not Own. (I addressed things "factually" - not emotionally).
The attorneys continued their sexists rants about me, so a male colleague had a friend of his who worked for the local newspaper, write a huge Sunday paper story about my house and faulty building practices in the area. The article was "factual" and drew a lot of attention to not only my house problems, but problems in the local building trades.
B. Around 25 years later, I mortgaged a house in New Jersey that needed remodeling, and I encounter another similar situation. (History does repeat itself).
This time I am STILL living in Ohio, but working with a supposedly licensed General Contractor (GC) in New Jersey (we will call him "Judas"). "Judas" saw me as blond (dumb), a woman (dumber), someone not knowledgeable about construction. I was also out-of-town, and therefore someone he could take advantage of. Judas was able to write contracts like a General Contractor and so I paid him a ton of money to upgrade the older home I was mortgaging. After 25 years, I had learned that I needed to to "trust" people again (but sadly that was a mistake).
Later, he emailed me a request for money for a change order that I had never approved - that he seemed to be just making up, to get more money from me.
I, and a "MALE" friend drove the 12 hours to New jersey to see my house. We were shocked to see the poor quality or work done by the General Contractor, and the amount of things that would I would now have to pay someone else to re-do in the future. I called Judas, and told him to meet with me at the house in the morning, and I took my MALE friend, and had the police there so that I could "fire" him (to stop the financial bleeding).
"Judas" literately jumped when I appeared at my house with a MALE (and a few minutes later - the police). Judas tried to explain to the police and the MALE that my house was a "work-in-progress" and that it would look beautiful when done. (But a walk through the house said otherwise).
"Judas" then accused "me" of being "delusional".
(A "Delusional" woman is just another word for an emotional witch-bitch female).
What could a woman possibly know about construction? Well actually I knew quite a bit because of my Ohio home building experience. And, after my Ohio home building experience, but before my trial with the GC, I studied the Michigan General contractors exam study course for licensing (in Ohio at the time you did not need a license to build a home - even though a home was the biggest investment many people ever made in their life). My GC in Ohio, had a background in accounting, and hired top interior designers for his houses in the local Parade of Homes. So while his houses looked nice, they were not built properly, but instead were built with "cheap" materials, so that he could make top-dollar from building your house. I had to sue the Ohio GC and it took 10 years to bring the case to trial.
So around 25 years later when I encountered "Judas" in New Jersey, I DID have some knowledge of construction, and I wasn't as stupid as "Judas" believed me to be. (Also, he did not know that I had a Masters Degree in Business Administration, graduated near the Top of my Class from a prestigious business school, and took a course in Business Ethics. He also did not know that I had sued a former builder in Ohio, and won my case). Judas, just saw me as a dumb blond, older, woman, in casual clothing - unable to stand up to his lies.
At the fateful meeting with "Judas", my male friend, and I - Judas probably began to realized that I might not be as dumb as all blonds. Later, when I hired an attorney, he put all of his assets in someone else's name - probably fearing I might sue him. (And I still have time to address "Judas" professionally, and legally).
For right now ladies, stay strong, and remember that you do have rights under the law, in regard to being taken advantage of by men in the construction and home repair industry. While it helps to have a "man" factually reviewing your problems in construction or remodeling, you can stand up to them alone.
Keep a strong, determined face, and have fortitude. You deserve to have what you are paying for, even it you are single and doing it alone. You worked just as hard as a man for your money (maybe harder). If needed, go to the thrift store and buy a dark colored business suit, and glasses, for use in confrontation to get what you deserve. Two men can face dilemmas wearing jeans and overalls - but a woman still may need to dress better than a man to make her arguments.
Don't give up. (You are expected to fold. Don't give them that satisfaction). I am living proof that you can stand up to adversity. You too can do it. And the more women that stand up to "crap" now, the less women will have to fight for what they are entitled to in the future.