Sexism examples

[Magicboobies]

Has anyone got any examples of sexism here in UK recently?
husband truly believes there is not much sexism “these days” 🙄 we work in the same profession and i gave him a few examples of at work and he was like “really! I’m sure most people don’t experience sexism nowadays”
I agree we have come a long way but also think he doesn’t see and a lot of little things will go un noticed

Car sales people/mechanics assuming my husband is the petrolhead or double glazing sales people asking if my husband is home.

My DD’s air cadet commanding officer telling her that “her mum can teach her how to sew badges on”.

An assumption that I do the bulk of childcare or domestic duties.

Signs in office kitchens which say “wash your stuff. Your mother doesn’t work here.”

Comments about female drivers/women being unable to park. (I wish it was an Olympic sport.)

Assumptions that my husband just earn more than me. (We earn the same - both 6 figs.)

Mansplaining.

Assuming I can’t lift heavy things. (I can bench 80k).

Assuming I am responsible for the mental load.

You mean like when people assume my male junior colleague is in charge without asking ?

Happens all the time.

God all the bloody time. Men are largely oblivious, don't care or join in.

I posted earlier about comments on LinkedIn about pension gap for women
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/feminism/5310894-in-plain-sight-comments-by-men-at-adverts?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

I have males interrupt me often at work in meetings.

One calls me madam or lady ...but he's joking you see, so that ok 🙄

Aggressive male drivers who think women in small cars should not be holding them up. (Driving at the speed limit, parking legally and signalling...been abused on school run several times since getting a small car).

Male tradesmen who try and take the piss when I'm obviously a lone woman.

I was assumed to have wrongly filled my fuel tank by AA recovery when it was something the garage did wrong.

I could go on allllll day!

Seriously if he thinks it does not exist...tell him to go on social media and read comments under adverts for anything pro women.

Do you think your husband is sexist?

Has he read Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez? You could sign him up to his substack. And Milli Hill's The Word is Woman.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/what-happened-when-a-man-signed-work-emails-using-a-female-name-for-a-week_n_58c2ce53e4b054a0ea6a4066

A window company wouldn't come to my house to quote me unless my husband was at home.

-Men criticising my driving.
-Having to queue to use a toilet at events.
-Men talking over us about their experiences when we comment on how WE'RE treated.
-Having to avoid looking at men in the street, especially after dark.
-Being advised not to actually GO out after dark.
-Being told we must be "on our periods" if we dare to get annoyed about something.
-Being stared at in meetings in the hope that I'll acknowledge a man and smile at him.
-Being told to smile generally.

-and just in case anyone's forgotten my #1: Men criticising my driving!

I’m pregnant, and countless people have asked if I’ll be going part time when I go back to work, not one person has asked my husband the same.

I'm married and people just assume I'm a Mrs. Eurgh!

Yes I was shocked at how oblivious he was and then have taken to pointing out examples of sexism to prove a point 😅
I don’t thiiink he’s sexist but is indifferent when I point out things which is arguably as bad!
Eg his mum text him to ask if I would like her old sewing machine (I’ve never sewn since school DT). I text back and said thank you for offer but neither one or DH will use it . He thought that was petty.
A relative (who knows we are both Dr) addressed a letter to Dr & Mrs his initial and surname. I wouldn’t really care about them using my Dr title in general, but this one bothered me because they used his and not mine.
well aware these are minor things but striving to bring our children up to be less sexist and unless you notice these things you can’t get rid of them

Does he also think racism isn’t an issue? 🙄

Just because he’s privileged enough not to experience something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

I didn’t say it was evil. I said it was sexism. Which it is.

Assuming those things because I’m female is sexist.

I've thought of another one frok this month - DH made an offer on a BTL that I'd seen without him, and the seller went with another offer because he didn't think I was a serious buyer because I was a laydee.

Whenever I mention to anybody my painter, my carpenter, my cleaner, etc they always reply using pronouns which indicate that they assume all these people are male -- except the cleaner, who they assume is female.

Men explaining to women that there isn’t sexism is a pretty good example.

I married my DH 18 months ago and we told everyone we were not having the same name. I was 56 and I'm not changing my name this late in life.

My mother and godmother both send birthday cards to Mrs MarriedName!

I found out that I was specifically requested for a career enhancing secondment a few months after returning from maternity leave but my (male) department head turned it down on my behalf (without even mentioning it to me) as I would clearly not want the extra travel/pressure when I had a young baby. The opportunity was instead given to a male colleague, who actually had an even younger baby.
Numerous occasions where I have been told by men to smile. I have never, ever heard a man telling another man to smile.
Looking to buy a brand new car and a male friend wanted to come with me. At over 50% of the dealerships we went to the salesmen directed all comments/questions about technical specifications to my friend and handed him the keys for the test drive. Some even handed him the keys after I had explained that I would be the buyer.
Numerous comments from random men about my driving/parking when I was doing nothing wrong. Eg. getting irritated because I was taking a while getting in to a parking space and telling me to park somewhere else. I was actually waiting for a parent to get a baby in to the car parked next to the space.
Comments about my physique/clothing from random men. Starting as a young teen and still happens in my 50s. Happens regardless of weight and style of clothing etc.

The list is endless quite frankly

The shock from so many people when I split shared parental leave with my male partner. The lack of baby changes in male toilets.
The gender pay gap. The pension disparity. Men are the default in so many areas - eg many items made for women are actually based on a male shape then just made smaller (eg shoes) rather than being based on the different female shape.
The bechdale test is a great identifier of sexism in films (spelt wrong sorry) and it's equivalent relating to articles about female scientists (can't remember the name of that test)
Ask him to read Invisible Women

Did anything happen at work after this? Any action taken?

According to the men of LinkedIn, the gender pension issue does not exist/does exist but we should work harder/ serves us right because men get a hard time in family court and because it's never women who fix roads in winter apparently!

Yes... Invisible Women great book and podcast. Start playing it on journeys @Magicboobies .... But tell him to drive carefully if you're the passenger because women come off worse in accidents as seatbelts are designed for men!

Just look at your local Facebook page.

man with a van
gasman wanted.
handyman needed
lad wanted for building work.
scrap man wanted
man to do house clearance

always a man. Anything vaguely physical or traditionally male people want a man. We have some excellent female plumbers, gardeners etc in our area but people always ask for a man.

bloke at work changed his name to his wife’s on marriage. He got so many comments, people taking the piss etc. yet not one person batted an eyelid when a female colleague changed her name. For the second time.

travel companies changing the lead passenger to dh when I booked and paid for the whole thing.

the whole “boys will be boys” shit and gender stereotypes. Actually getting worse. People in shops asking my child if she’s sure she wants the blue one, because they do it in pink? Redirecting her to the “correct” aisle when she’s browsing the cars and pirate toys.

dressed in jeans on a climbing frame assuming she’s a boy and getting positive comments on how good a climber she is, how strong getting to the top. Same climbing frame in a pink top and the comments are suddenly concerned and is she sure she should be going that high, does she need any help getting down. And mind the boy he wants to get past you.

it’s everywhere.

pp Mentioned female scientists- it’s actually been shown that men are referred to by their academic title, dr x, professor y etc. women being introduced on tv, at conferences etc will be introduced as first name last name, no title.

thread on here about a child inviting themselves on a work trip- many posters automatically assumed it was Dh’s work trip and o/p was the trailing spouse, when she’d said “I have to go for work”.

But isn't having to queue to use the loo the result of the opposite of sexism? That's one case where treating the two sexes differently would be preferable!