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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Computers defaulting to male

4 replies

EBearhug · 17/02/2018 10:52

I am in London today, and on a whim yesterday, booked a hostel bed and came up last night, instead of getting a train at some unholy hour this morning. I booked a bed in a single sex dorm, which I thought was a women's dorm, but wasn't checking that bit so closely, as I was more focussed on checking I had the right date, which I couldn't find.

I planned to send feedback after I got back home, because the confirmation page didn't seem to show the date - I did eventually find it, but I think it needs to be more prominent.

What I hadn't been expecting was for that single sex dorm to be a male dorm, on account of me being female. No one mentioned in when I checked in and was given a room card (with a pink sticker on the back, but I don't know if it was relevant.) They spoke to me by name, and Emma seems to be universally recognised as a female name in most European countries and English-speaking ones. Plus I don't think I look very androgynous.

When I got to the dorm, there was no one else there, and I showered (single sex showers across the corridor) and went to bed and was asleep before anyone else was there. So I didn't realise until this morning that the single sex dorm was in fact male, not female.

As I was not in the room awake at the same time as anyone else, and I changed in the shower room, it wasn't an issue for me - but it very easily could have been a problem, and not necessarily just for me - after all, men should be entitled to have a men-only space if that's what they've booked, just as women should be able to expect it.

They were very apologetic when I checked out.

But I don't think it would have happened at all if the default on most computer forms wasn't male. (And if the details of what you selected was more prominent - not just the booking ref number.)

OP posts:
ExtremelyMadCatLady · 17/02/2018 12:44

Doesn't surprise me. Computers can only say no. Mind you, DD would prob reprogram them. If she could be bothered.
It is a bit pathetic that they think that males are the default human being.

LassWiADelicateAir · 17/02/2018 12:50

Which web-site was it?

sycamore54321 · 17/02/2018 12:55

I was booking flights for a large group recently. I was really irritated that on drop down box was auto-filled with "male" and I had to scroll it down to female each time. The list options on the other fields were alphabetical order (except for the months of course!) and it really felt devaluing that the same logic that applied to other lists was overturned to make Male the default.

EBearhug · 19/02/2018 12:47

I have received a mail to acknowledge receipt and to say I can expect a response within 15 days.

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