Examples needed please

[FellOutTheLoft]

Hello, I am looking for examples of everyday sexism and misogyny of a, so called, low level. So I’m not talking about sexual assaults or harassment or catcalling but the kinds of things that highlight ingrained discriminatory attitudes towards women from men or women. The purpose is for a hearing I have to attend soon in which I wish to illustrate what day to day life is really like for women in the UK. TIA.

Being asked by a man outside of my department, at the same organizational level to schedule a meeting for him. Then being cut out of the meeting by him when I replied “my calendar is up to date so I’ll let you arrange a time that works for you.”

This was about a question he had about an area that I manage. He went to my boss, my boss also felt he was being demeaning to me, but was fine to cut me out of the discussion.

Does that sound unhinged of me?

Not being believed by doctors.

I’m afraid I have quite a few:

A woman I’d never met was noticeably aggressive with me in a meeting. (Her peers apologized and said she was just like that.)

When I mentioned it to her manager he told me that we must have a personal problem and that women often cannot get along. Literally never met or dealt with this woman in my life.

Being with anyone, and they are everywhere, and they are men and women, who repeatedly refer to any professional whose sex they do not know as "he".

Did your vet change a lot for jabs? Is he any good?

Where is your surgeon operating on your hip? Who recommended him to you?

I don't like that designer house, he's one of those minimalist architects, isn't he?

What is this pilot doing!? He must be drunk.

It's absolutely constantly.

You could even take a recording with people out in the street and use it to illustrate just how many people assume professional = man.

I also have a very personal one that I'm happy to put my name to for you privately, and I would come to the hearing for you and say it in person, where I consulted a nephrologist about blood in my urine and he openly disbelieved that I knew which orifice of my own body I was bleeding from. My eventual diagnosis explained everything, but it didn't come from him.

Erasure of women from medical services

Cervix havers
Chest feeders
Birthing parents

Today Waitrose removed the category of feminine products from period products because one of their staff advised that men have periods. Nope. 👎🏻

The old predictable office sexism examples of being spoken over in meetings, having men having a brilliant idea that you said 5 minutes previously and the expectation of being the default meeting organiser, note taker and sorter of refreshments. Oh and office social glue for cards, collections, Christmas parties, etc.

I’m more vocal about pointing these things out but it doesn’t stop it happening in the first place. Even in 2026 the unspoken expectation is for women to be passive, supporting and nurturing in a professional environment.

My ex manager only ever asked female staff to bring coffee to to the meeting room when he had a meeting. Never the men.

Booked an appointment at the bank.
All banking done by me.
Man comes out of office and 3 times addresses only my husband, completely ignoring me, even though it was my name on the appointment.
He couldn’t even see me over his computer monitor.

I’m being paid less than my husband to do the same job. We can’t challenge it because it’s in our contracts not to discuss pay even though obviously we know what household income we have and who gets what.
During a meeting, I got told by a male coworker to make notes like I was his assistant. We do the same professional job.
A colleague told me the other day that he thinks the law is unfair because only men can be charged with rape.

Whenever I buy a car they talk to my husband. If I ask questions they answer to my husband. He doesn’t even drive! He tells them this and they just keep doing it anyway.

Someone the same level as me at work writing on teams 'good girl' when I answered a simple question on two separate occasions. I complained to his manager and he was made to apologise. He proceeded to try and explain away why he'd said it

My aunt was an auditor. She did it for 30 years and trained up several dozen people to do the role. She regaled us with stories at Christmas but always complained that, without fail. Every time she had a (even much) younger male trainee with her when visiting properties, the person would open the door and EVERY time would shake the man's hand first and refer questions to him instead of the 50yo woman who has knocked.

There's the often cited study where male and female colleagues swapped names and email addresses for two weeks. Revealed gender bias at work. Link

www.hrdive.com/news/how-an-email-experiment-between-two-co-workers-revealed-startling-gender-bi/437918/

Oh oh SO MANY work ones.😎

1. Welcoming a member of my audit team who they assumed was the lead as he was 50 ish and I was a 40 ish female. I still enjoy the memory of the look of horror and dismay when they realised that the lavish grovelling was misplaced. Not Naomi Campbell level of briskness (heaven forbid) but “gentleman shall we make a start”…
2. An older gentleman assuming that my female colleague and I were secretaries. “Can you help me with the photocopier?”. “No. You need the chap in admin. We can only help with legal matters”. Completely flummoxed by the world inversion.
3. Assumption that two women must be gossiping when we were problem solving in our shared office, with the door closed and did not welcome interruptions “for a chat”.
4. On my last day as a university academic my manager said I was difficult to work with but at least now I did not work there anymore it was ok for him to now slap my bum!!! The same Professor wanted the females on my team to “smile more”. Red flag.
5. OMG yes. Take notes, make coffee, make charity cakes, do collections. Look after new starts. Waifs and strays. Interns. No. Is a complete sentence.

And people wonder why I am so sodding @r&ey.
Everyday misogyny everyday of my working life.

SNAP

Definitely making a point in a meeting, it being glossed over, then a senior male making it 5 minutes later and it being the best idea since sliced bread. To one's credit, he did say that I'd said it first but that's the only time that that bit happened.

The endless assumption that I (10 year post qualified auditor when DS1 was born) would ‘rather be part time to see more of the DC’. DH and I agreed that I needed to be polite when anyone at all had asked him (teacher, earns less than I do) the same. Spoiler alert, DS1 is a teen and I still don’t need to be polite.

"Unisex" meaning "men's, but the wimmin can wear it and it will probably be fine"

When the kids were at school, my husband worked part-time while I worked full time. He was down as the primary contact in case the school needed to get in touch. Despite this, they almost always called me first. Including when I was trying to deal with medical emergencies.

Also - my husband was thoroughly praised for being so wonderful - he works! He looks after the kids! He cleans and cooks!

Strangely such praise didn't come my way when we swapped round.