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Feminism: chat

What sexist event happened to you this week? Big or small..

231 replies

Quarks69 · 10/10/2021 21:39

I went to a group golf lesson for the first time the other week and as there were not enough bays, all the women were told to share and the men had a bay to themselves...for an hour..and I was the only one who noticed and said anything!!!

Response from male instructor.... an hour is a long time the women might get tired 😡. Shall I name and shame?

Would be interesting to hear if I am the only one who sees these things now, when I never did in my youth?

OP posts:
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Coffeey · 11/10/2021 06:12

Good on you for calling it out.

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Fiercestcalm · 11/10/2021 06:28

Care assessor seemed to think it was natural to not include hours for cooking for DH because I would do this naturally. Had to point out that the hours need to be included because we always cooked for ourselves due to DH being having the palate of an over indulged five year old fussy.

Care assessor became rather flustered and agreed they need to be included ….

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ProfYaffle · 11/10/2021 06:38

Left my old job because in a recent round of recruitment 2 inexperienced young men were appointed over more experienced older women.

I'm now doing the DBS check for my new job. I know from past experience that DBS can't cope with the fact that I'm married but didn't change my name. They will most likely reject the form first time round because my maiden name isn't on it, despite the fact that I don't have one. I complained last time this happened and was told that 'most' women have a maiden name so, meh, I just have to accept it.

It's likely that my check will take significantly longer than a man in the same situation and will delay the start date in my new job.

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Anycolourwilldo · 11/10/2021 06:56

I've got completely sidelined at work. I've returned after maternity leave and my cover is staying for an additional year, doing my job. I'm now kicking my heals I guess until I get made redundant or choose to leave. It's miserable. I thought I was good at my job but this has knocked the confidence from me.
Men don't experience this.

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Sundancerintherain · 11/10/2021 07:03

How about being told Well Done ! When I backed into a tight parking space in my larger than average carHmm. Micro agressions like this every day.
Not from DH btw , he always asks me to park if its tricky because my spacial awareness is better.

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Nellodee · 11/10/2021 07:07

One of my colleagues, while fixing the toner cartridge in the copier, told me he had to "whip it out and shake it vigorously" and then said "I'm sorry, I'm not concentrating, I'm having really smutty thoughts right now." We were alone in a small office and it made me feel really uncomfortable.

The same colleague has previously expressed amazement that I didn't know how to work the microwave (being a woman and all) and tried to send me to make him a cup of tea. We are both teachers of many years experience and equal pay grade.

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Popskipiekin · 11/10/2021 07:10

Budget setting at work. I was only woman in the room. Manager complains his payroll costs are up “due to all the maternity leave - every woman in my department getting pregnant right now”. CFO agrees: “must be something in the water”.
Ohhhhhkay.
Fortunately I am not myself pregnant - that would have been worse, right? Grin.

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Somuddled · 11/10/2021 07:14

@Quarks69

I went to a group golf lesson for the first time the other week and as there were not enough bays, all the women were told to share and the men had a bay to themselves...for an hour..and I was the only one who noticed and said anything!!!

Response from male instructor.... an hour is a long time the women might get tired 😡. Shall I name and shame?

Would be interesting to hear if I am the only one who sees these things now, when I never did in my youth?

That's really terrible. Why didn't you just walk over to one of the other bays and announce it was your turn? I would be all over twitter with criticism if I were you.
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Pippyweather · 11/10/2021 07:15

My DH has just ordered a new Porsche and was telling his friend and his wife about it.

I was saying that we would share the Porsche and my car depending on who was going where each day.

The male friend then said, 'What? You'll be allowed to drive it?" and no one batted an eyelid apart from me.

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PaulaTrilloe · 11/10/2021 07:18

I went to a gig at the weekend with DP at an unfamiliar venue ( a boathouse). It was dark and I saw a couple of guys on the first floor balcony and just checked I had the correct boathouse (there are several next to each other). They confirmed yes it was so I climbed the stairs to the first floor .
They said the entrance was via the ground floor oops my bad. They seemed to find it hilarious that I could not see the entrance (dark, unlit and hidden in a corner not viewable from ground level if you are not intimately acquainted with said venue).
They kind of tried to mock me in a conspitorial way via my DP for taking the initiative. As a delightful additional patronising touch one of the menz then came up to me once in the venue when I was buying our drinks, made a comment about me drinking a pint. I gave him a stony stare and asked him whether he said things like that to men or just laydees. Apparently I don't have a sense of humour when I showed him where the exit was!

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Longdistance · 11/10/2021 07:19

I was talking about my friend who is Head of the PE department at a private school. My colleague (male) said ‘is he?’ Erm, ‘SHE!’

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LeroyJenkinssss · 11/10/2021 07:22

Currently in the middle of a massive insurance claim. I’m first policy holder, I’m the only one who has dealt with the renovation company, I am the only one on the house deeds/mortgage, which they know about as they had to get my signature for the works. Got an email for the materials. Addressed to my husband. Sigh.

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Somuddled · 11/10/2021 07:23

My boss regularly says sexist things but seems to think that declaring that he has three daughters somehow counteracts it. Last week I called him out on something and he kept just shrugging and proclaiming 'I'm a feminist, I have thee girls, I'm a feminist!'

OK...

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ANameChangeAgain · 11/10/2021 07:23

I am the owner operator of a nice little small business. Not this week, but cccasionally when people come to me and learn its my business they congratulate me on being the business owner, "good for you" and "haven't you done well for yourself". I'm my late 40s.

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ANameChangeAgain · 11/10/2021 07:26

Ooh, I've just remembered a good one, not recent, but I booked a fitted wardrobe salesman to measure up and quote. When he was drawing up the quotation after measuring, he asked if I had authority to sign the contract!

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Somuddled · 11/10/2021 07:29

@ANameChangeAgain

I am the owner operator of a nice little small business. Not this week, but cccasionally when people come to me and learn its my business they congratulate me on being the business owner, "good for you" and "haven't you done well for yourself". I'm my late 40s.

Interested to understand this one a bit more. I would probably say something like this, I congratulate and praise people constantly. Mind expanding on why you don't like such comments?
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ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings · 11/10/2021 07:34

Went to my in laws house for lunch and got to listen to my BIL mansplain for an hour how all girls schools are sexist and misandry is a big problem and NAMALT and WDIT in response to me mentioning I'd like my dd to go to an all girls school following the recent focus on sexual assault in schools. The worst bit is that this bloke thinks he's sooooo right on and is always jumping on any chance to explain why saying "all lives matter" is racist but then can't seem to apply the same logic to sexism. I've come to the conclusion that a lot of right on men only care about social justice causes that affect men, anything that only effects women goes straight into the pile of things to be minimised, sneered at, and negated.

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CaptainCorelli · 11/10/2021 07:35

Not this week, but one that I remembered recently. I worked in the business centre of a hotel where people came in to do printing etc. I was quite overweight at the time. An American business man who had been flirting with all the slim attractive receptionists came in and said aren’t you lucky having a job here? He was really condescending. I had a degree and was working part time round a post-grad course so didn’t feel like doing incredibly basic admin was that lucky and undeserved.

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RumHoney · 11/10/2021 07:35

I did a race at the weekend with "equal prize money". Except there was a prize for breaking the course record. But they've only ever kept records for men's times so they don't know what the women's record is, therefore no similar prize for us (I was in no danger of breaking it, it just felt unfair. I also don't blame the organiser, the problem goes further back to the lack of record keeping).

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Justilou1 · 11/10/2021 07:36

Watching something about a very high profile politician (in Aus) getting away with accusations of historical SA because the victim committed suicide. PM refused to open inquest because “He’s a good bloke.” AAAAAAARGH!!! That infuriated me, then my DH began to defend the poor, innocent menz who are so often falsely accused (Less than 2% of men charged with SA here of the 22% of women who actually REPORT it are found to have been falsely accused.) - My DH went on to mansplain the unreliability of witnesses with repressed memories due to trauma from historical SA, etc. (He knows that I also happen to be a victim of historical SA and that I repressed memories for years to keep myself safe.) He got “The Look” and wondered where I went for dinner.

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MeanderingGently · 11/10/2021 07:38

At church, of all places....they should know better.
Congregation to sing a song about 'togetherness' which has signs attached, sort-of Makaton style.
Explaining the signs, apparently the one for 'boys' is shaking fists "because all boys fight" and the sign for girls is using a hooked finger over the nose, "because all girls are nosy/bitchy".
This is wrong in all sorts of ways but couldn't really shout out from the centre of the congregation in the middle of the service....or perhaps I should have but I'm not that brave......

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Pippyweather · 11/10/2021 08:16

I run a successful business with my husband. It's in the construction industry. He is the face, the chat etc and I run the whole business side in the background.

Everyone, including my own mother, thinks I am his secretary. 😬

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CBUK2K · 11/10/2021 08:27

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CBUK2K · 11/10/2021 08:30

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VirtualLife · 11/10/2021 08:32

An energy door salesman told me to smile, literally the first thing he said to me when I opened the door. I just closed it in his face without saying a word.

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