SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I think more people probably have than they realize, esp toward women.

When I was younger I definitely worked in a hostile work environment. I was one of the only women working at a car dealership. I was asked to wear a skirt even though when I started I didn't do sales, but worked on computers (crawling under desks and all). People would make all kind of uncomfortable jokes and comments around me. I found really disgusting porn (involving animals) on the desktop of my computer. I was called "Sweetheart" a lot and really talked down to. Once I started assisting in sales, my boss would find an excuse to "go look up something" and leave me to chat with the customer if he happenned to be a young male. I'd get comments about how the guys hanging out at the corner store next door probably would pay good money for time with me, etc. The only other woman in sight was a young woman at the reception desk who was very beautiful and dressed sexy. The other women who were middle aged and did billing were in the back and never on the floor. I think they resented me because suddenly there were "problems" with my paychecks. I eventually just quit. I was 18-19 and really didn't know any better. It was one of my first jobs and before that i had worked with my dad and he was in trucking/shipping so I was kind of used to a coarse, male dominated environment, but it was really bad when I was working at the dealership. Having learned about it, I think it really would have fallen under hostile work environment. I really don't know how or why I put up with it as long as I did, but I really didn't know what to do.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Yes, discrimination in the form of rarely promoting females and lower salaries There are only about 5 female managers in the entire US-based operation, compared to hundreds of male managers.
I work for a foreign company that has a global presence.

To me, it's a job with good benefits and a steady paycheck.
There are days I hate it and other days I love it.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Yes, because I do NOT have children.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I don't feel that I've been subjected to discrimination at work, but I have noticed something along the lines of what you're talking about.

I'm 25, and I work at two colleges. I could easily pass for a student. Many times when I have encounters with people in other departments (not my own department or any academic based departments...but I don't want to appear to be typecasting by naming the specific departments), I receive an attitude, lack of willingness to help, etc. However, the second that it comes up that I am an employee, not a student, the person's attitude does a complete change, and the red carpet is rolled out.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Always in one way or another..

Why CAN’T we talk about salary amongst ourselves? Oh because then we’d all know how messed up a man with no talent can come in entry level and make MY pay even tho I have 15yrs experience, out rank him so far and have 3 professional designations? Sorry I don’t play golf, huh?

But as much as I hate it, its part of my industry. Women work, men play. Women do the paperwork and details, men do the smoozing and selling. Women are the pretty face with begging eyes, men are the cut throat bad news bears with facts. *sigh*


But obvious and obnoxious discrimination would be at a telemarketing job I had. The guy manager (with a 11yr old son) point blank asked me to go out with him even tho I was dating a coworker. Then took it farther and told me he’d ‘f’ me harder and better than my bf ever would. I’d ‘cry in joy and beg for more’. Then he’d ask me and others to put my hands on a desk slightly bend my knees and spell run out loud real fast 3 times. So R-U-N becomes “Are you in”. I did the math in my head and refused. He called me a spoiled sport. I finally got fed up and one day he walked over to me to pull my hair back and whisper in my ear, I stood up in front of 30 other employees all lined up in long desks in front of screens while doing their calls and said “I won’t f’ing (real word) sleep with you, you mother ‘f’ing a-hole, now leave me the f alone!” I was fired within 2 weeks for breaking some ‘rule’. It was an obvious frame and I told the HR folks my biggest rule I broke was not sleeping with him and embarrassing him. Because at my outburst women in the room applauded me and “amen” this etc. I pleaded my case and he got told to stop (that was all). Then one month later he was in trouble again. This time they put him on probation. Less than two weeks later he was heard telling an employee “Hey you look nice today….. bet you’d look better in cr0tchless underwear, Yum” Idiot man!

Ironically I went back to that job 2weeks after being fired. Haha they said I was fired ‘indefinitely’ I said that mean it was ‘undefined’. Hahaha They paid $4 over minimum wage and paid for training. So for 2weeks I sat in ‘training’ with all the trainers who knew me well and basically just let me goof off. On the 3rd week they figured me out. I said the whole ‘undefined’ thing and they fired me on the spot (again) but gave me a check. I had a job already so I was moonlighting for extra cash. That’s how I heard what he’d done and said.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I was actually told on a job interview that the interviewer was worried about how dependable I would be since I have a baby at home & that would be a deterant since having negative experiences in the past with hiring "a mom". illegal much? I still got the job.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

yes, i have no children and expected to be here more and do more then those with.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I've also been at jobs where most of the rank and file were women, but most if not all f the top dogs were men. Some had an overt "boys' club", not that this was something you could prove.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Absolutely. Working in a field dominated by men, I'm rarely taken seriously. Comes with the territory. Made me a stronger person for it.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Yes definitely - because of being a female, because I am "young" and because I have kids. Nothing too severe though.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I've been a SAHM for several years now, but before that, I worked in an IT department as a programmer. It was extremely male-dominated, I was one of 3 women in a department of at least 30 people. I never felt discriminated against at all, I got promotions and opportunities and never felt being female held me back. Sometimes I did feel "not taken seriously" but it was ALWAYS when interacting with an "older male"... like our parents' generation. With men of our generation, or women, I always felt respected.

ETA-- This was all before I had kids. There were literally no women with kids in this department, in fact the other 2 women there were not even married. The job often required long hours, and off-hours coverage-- you'd be on call and the pager would go off in the middle of the night because some server or system was down. I don't think the management would have had much patience for moms rushing out early, coming in late, "working" from home when kid is sick, and generally asking for special privileges. In that sense, it was a man's world, kwim?

Message edited 1/5/2012 3:54:08 PM.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Absolutely. I am a female in a predominately male industry. Thankfully it only happened once and all the other people prresent had my back.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Posted by Blazesyth

Posted by computergirl

ETA-- This was all before I had kids. There were literally no women with kids in this department, in fact the other 2 women there were not even married. The job often required long hours, and off-hours coverage-- you'd be on call and the pager would go off in the middle of the night because some server or system was down. I don't think the management would have had much patience for moms rushing out early, coming in late, "working" from home when kid is sick, and generally asking for special privileges. In that sense, it was a man's world, kwim?

A man's world, or us chicks that don't have kids get made to saddle the extra.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Yes, because I am a woman and expected to "take it'," well, I took that job and shoved it up their a$$.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

No, not ever actually

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Ive been put in several uncomfortable situations while I worked at a daycare center back in my late teens/ early twenties. Always from the fathers of children who were enrolled in my class. Many inappropriate gestures and subtle comments dropped all of the time, and one incident where a father came to pick up their daughter (she was my last student to be picked up) and he cornered me in the kitchen and exposed himself. I went straight to my director, had a meeting with both the husband and wife, and showed the videotape from the security cameras that were placed in each classroom. That family was kicked out of the center, and I quit shortly after because of backlash I was recieving from other staff members. Apparently being hit on and gropped was an acceptable thing among certain staff members. Not a great place to work, let alone leave your children with. The center ultimately closed down in 2006, not sure if it was from constant complaints, or lack of business. Either way, I was so relieved when I heard that news.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Not sexual discrimination but outright AND blatant discrimination about other things.

I no longer work for that employer.

I wish I had been smarter & made an issue out of more then the one thing I fought back on so that they would stop doing it to others.

At least the one thing I fought them on they had to reverse their original decision while i was still employed with them It made me feel good to get what I deserved at that point!

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

Sometimes not overtly, other times more blantant, & sometimes unintentionally.

Sometimes it was because I was female, other times it was because I was young, now it's more because I'm older (43) & because I have kids.

I had a boss that believes that women should be home with their children. Actually said when he got married he didn't want "someone else raising their children" so his wife quit her job. He told me now he gives her a salary & a cost of living increase each year. Um. yeah. So wouldn't work for my marriage.. Anyway, if any of the women who are moms are out sick, it's questioned. The assumption is we're out sick because our kids.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I am a female in a male dominated field. I have NEVER been subjected to discrimination. I guess I am lucky because from day one I have ALWAYS been treated very respectfully.

Re: SPINOFF: Do you feel you've been subjected to discrimination at work?

I was a nanny for a few years. The dad was going through a bitter divorce and had custody of the kids. He used to talk about sex in front of me which made me so uncomfy and one of the moms at the bus stop told me that he told her husband that we were sleeping together and that I wanted him so bad which was far from the truth. It made me so uncomfy working there. Then he stopped hitting on me when he started dating his secretary who eventually moved in with him.