My Response to Sarah

Her Post:
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......

My Response:
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.