Thursday, June 4, 2009

Week 3

This week didn't contain a eureka moment perse but I do have something on my mind. I just contacted my old employer for a summer job becasue I'm tired of being on unemployment. My old job, although I loved it, was in the center of a "man's world" and really puts me in a position to deal with alot of gender targeted situations. I would be working basically as a customer service rep at a electronic and appliance retailer. The entire showroom has all men salespeople, while the entire customer service staff is female. Being the minority in the building means being called "the girl at the desk" or having people directed to the "girl behind the counter." I was once an office manager for this company and even in that position I was called a "girl" instead of the manager. So it was not uncommon to have to deal with sexism from fellow employees. But worse than that-to me-is the way customers-or really people in general-view a woman in power in these situations. It was my job to handle customer service situations, yet time and time again I would be asked for another manager-who was always a man, and they would come forward only to say the same thing I said and get a satisfied response from the customer. Sometimes I wouldn't even waist my time and I would just skip to the male manager, because I already knew they won't take my word for it. I hated that part of the job. Even other women would do the same thing, and you would think a woman would trust another woman. It also always made the male manager look like the hero becasue he supposedly solved the problem. So while I look forward to getting back into work and doing what I love, I don't look forward to being in a backwards environment. Oh and did I mention that there is not a single woman top manager in this company?? In all my years there I knew more that alot of male managers over me knew. But they make sure women stay in the service relm of things. Hmmmm......

4 comments:

  1. That is interesting you say this because in the company I work for the costumer service people are all women, the billing people are all women, but all the people with the big office are all men. I have not been in the work force that long, but my experience has been very interesting when it comes to dealing with the corporate world. I think that the reason is many times people in the higher up jobs have been there so long and there mind sets are not up to date. I know it is no excuse because sometimes I wonder how some people have these higher positions when other people know more than they do. Makes no sense. I think this process is a slow process and it still will take time before women are treated 100% equal. I am sorry you feel this way! But isn’t it always interesting how the receptionist is always a female and the secretaries for these men are always female. I wonder why….

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  2. Sarah, I understand your concerns, that's funny you mentioned "a man's world" when you referred to the men at your work place, now Sarah you know that everything is centered around a man or haven't you heard? They have been ruling the planet since the beginning of time. A man was here on earth first and the women followed and that's why he thinks he's superior over her and constantly reminds her of this fact everyday through his throughts, words and deeds. Sarah did you know that men are the ultimate decision makers of all time? Yep they are, that's why the people call on them to solve their problems. It has nothing to do with knowledge, experience or status, it's a given. Sarah hang in there,soon the men will transfer their power over to you because their attention span will lead them in another direction and as usual "you" being a woman will be there taking over where they left off, does this sound familiar. Here's the reality of the situation you shared with us, you are probably still feeling the reprocussion of your last stay in the electronic and appliance industry,establishment or business and you will find the same gender issues that can now be solved by you, give it time. The only reason people want to speak to a man is because they feel they have a better chance of getting what they want from them. Don't take it personally, and welcome back to the working world of men.

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  3. Sarah I totally feel your pain in this situation. I'm a supervisor and whenever guests need a manager I do sometimes feel that because I am a woman they just don't take me seriously (I also think it has to do with my age), espically if its normally something a man deals with. And both of my bosses in the building were men. So whenever they needed someone higher it would always be a man. Just recently we got a new store manager who is a woman and I think it will be intresting to see if this makes any difference when customers asks for whos in charge of the store and its a woman now.

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  4. Sarah- This post was so insightful into how the workplace has changed a lot less than it may appear on the very top surface. Yes, women are slowly moving up in the world of business, but there were still no women in higher positions than managers!!! That says a lot about how little society has really changed. Also, it must have been really hard and put a lot of pressure on you to work in such a male-dominated workplace. I babysat for a women who works in an office with all women who are mothers of young children as well, and I'm not sure that it is a good representation of how almost all executive settings are. I would think it is usually the opposite.

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