A new project out of the UK is cataloging instances of “everyday sexism,” from the minor occurrences to the outrageous offenses. According to the project website, “It seems to be increasingly difficult to talk about sexism, equality and women’s rights in a modern society that perceives itself to have achieved gender equality. The Everyday Sexism Project aims to take a step towards gender equality, by proving wrong those who tell women that they can’t complain because we are equal.”
Women are encouraged to share their stories of everyday sexism on the website and post them on Twitter using the hashtag #everydaysexism. Many women have called out the magazine industry for categorizing science, sports and news publications as “Men’s Interest” while the “Women’s Interest” sections only include beauty, fashion and decorating magazines. Another common refrain is being told to smile by men at work, on the street and in the store; as if women exist only to look pleasant and pretty.
#EverydaySexism Tweet
Some of my own experiences of everyday sexism include:
- When my boss said only the female interns could answer the phone because, “Customers expect to hear a woman’s voice when they call a business.”
- When waiters bring the check to my male dining companion assuming the man is paying the bill.
- When at a technology conference two of the presenting start-ups used pictures of bikini-clad women in their PowerPoint presentations.
- When at a sports tradeshow in Europe, vendors kept referring to my boss as my husband.
- And my personal favorite, when breaking down an exhibit at a tradeshow, my male coworker grabbed the pocketknife out of my hands and said, “Women shouldn’t use knives. They could cut themselves.” He proceeded to cut himself.
What everyday sexism do you experience?
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Lara: What a jerk! I hope you spilled you accidentally knocked your drink in his lap.
I have a doozy.
I was having a drink with my husband at our local club. An old dude struck up a conversation with us, then proceeded to tell me along the lines of “isn’t this interesting…” that women are not logical and his evidence for this was there have been no females in the top 10 chess players of all time. But women are cunning and manipulative, evidence? Women are better at bridge than men.
When I pointed out to him I have a science degree and make my living as a technical market analyst, requiring pattern recognition, logic and mathematical ability, in short that I’m extremely logical, his reply? “I’m sure you think so dear”.
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Thanks for sharing Linda. Those examples are so frustrating – especially the work-related incidences. You should add them to the project.
Oh…and every morning in the coffee shop…while I’m sure it is well-intentioned, another regular customer who has made a point of learning my first name and has shown interest calls me “hon” and “darlin’” He barely knows me, it is too familiar and feels creepy and condescending. I am neither to him. I am someone else’s “hon” and “darlin’” and that someone else is mine.
OMG, Liz. What a great project! I had just commented yesterday on a FB post that I’ve actually had conversations with people (OK, an ex-BF) who insisted that women are no longer treated like or considered second-class citizens. I love the idea of tweeting/recording the everyday evidence of it. Here are a just a few of the many from me (triggered by your memories):
- a SVP of a Fortune 500 company using a “joke” video of men helping each other out by holding each others penises while taking a leak in the restroom and trying to smoke at the same time as his opening for a presentation about teamwork.
- a CEO of a well-funded tech startup telling me that our receptionist needed to be a woman because our customers were Mid-West utility companies who already think we’re gay because we’re from California and that none of these companies would even talk to us if we had a male receptionist.
- The same CEO regularly asking me if certain female industry reporters or executives were lesbian simply because they were tall and/or overweight.
- This very same CEO firing the most senior woman executive at the startup by “eliminating” her job, asking her to train someone new (also a woman) who was a friend of his from a former company, and then hiring that female friend for the same job description with a lower title.
- Once again, this CEO telling me that women are not as good as men at math.
- At this same startup, when telling my boss about the appalling behavior and language of this new CEO, having my boss respond “Well, he IS a sailor.” My response, “Well, he needs to decide whether he wants to be a sailor or a CEO.” (Needless to say, I quit the job shortly after I got there.)
- Same as you, fairly regularly the check is handed to the male in the dining party.
- Having bartenders regularly look past me to ask the male standing behind me (who is not with me) what he wants. Of course, my height might be a factor here.
These are some of the tame to mid-tame ones…there have been worse which I’ve chosen to forget.