Mixed reaction to sexist comment by guy in shop

[mdavza]

So the other day I was in a shop with my baby in a buggy, and it was really full, and I bumped into someone. and this old guy said to me (trying to be friendly): "you're a real women's driver." And it peeved me SOOOOO much, but I just said "yeah-yeah" and walked away.

What I wanted to say to him was that he was being sexist and it was uneccesary to drag my gender into the whole thing etc.etc. But I sort-of felt sorry for him, he was old and just trying to make a (shitty) joke.
Which is mainly my problem. I find it hard to stand up for issues such as these, because they're so deeply ingrained in society. I mean, people here are still confounded by the idea that I did not take my DH's surname!

Ah well, you can't fight every battle.

My immediate response would have been "no, no, I'm a male driver - women's insurance costs are lower because they have fewer accidents than men, I buck the trend - I'm afraid I'm the mummy equivalent of those dreadful boy-racers" with a big non-threatening smile (which still might provoke a torrent of abuse).

Next time eh!

Haha, I'll go and memorise that!

Or, "Oh yes, back a few decades ago there were all kinds of jokes about women driving, weren't there."

ooh that ones better.

Succinct and tells him he's a dinosaur.

He was an old guy - different generation - get over yourself. Does it really matter?
Oh , and before you get all hot under the collar I belive that most low impact, slow moving accidents are caused by women - so maybe he had a point.

Most accidents are caused by men you numbskull.

Who is the numbskull? I said slow moving, low impact and I think you'll find most of those are caused by women. There are lots of different types of accident and the fact is that men and women drive differently.

yousank is right. Women have more minor, slow-moving accidents (like this pram encounter). Men have more spectacular crashes that kill people - that's why their insurance premiums are higher.

So I guess you could say his comment is backed up by statistics.

LOL I was just irritated by you telling people to get over it.

Sorry.

And apparantly, men have accidents because they take risks and women have accidents because they make errors. So say the insurance companies, who know.

Thank you mishymoshy. I agree, his comments might have been irritating, but he was probably just trying to make conversation and got it a bit wrong.