Women in Tech

[TheFaQQer]

I don't know any women who have sued for sexual harrassment, or even made a formal complaint about it.

But if a woman is sexually harrassed, are you suggesting she should put up with it?

I remember someone from Oracle UK making a formal sexual harassment claim. Reading the testimony afterwards was pretty cringeworthy.

It was something like:

Q: Do you think it's inappropriate to have a girly calendar on the wall of your office?
Male Oracle exec accused of harassment: No more so than having a lingerie catalogue on my desk.

Oracle lost.

[mudskipper]

"Put the kettle on, mate"
"Yep, but you're a bloke"

As with all things the context is the key, and that can never come across in examples on a forum board. I all all the male colleagues "Boss" and the female ones "Hun", mainly cause I am crap with names and they are permies so I don't really care to remember them. A few times someone has objected and I have adjusted it for future conversations with them. If they had gone to HR and made a formal complaint it would have been massive over reaction, a quite word usually solves most problems

FWIW, I wouldn't feel particularly happy being called "Hun", but I wouldn't complain about it. I worked with a guy who called me (and all the other women) "my lovely" - we all thought it was cringeworthy and hated it, but none of us said anything.

In doing that, you're setting yourself up for being complained about - maybe the complainee is oversensitive, but why take the risk? "Boss" and "Hun" have quite different connotations.

(See MP's thread about being called "sweets".)

[mudskipper]

Interesting that we both went for "cringeworthy" (I hadn't read your post). That's exactly what most of it is.

[Pondlife]

"Put the kettle on, mate"
"Yep, but you're a bloke"

As with all things the context is the key, and that can never come across in examples on a forum board. I all all the male colleagues "Boss" and the female ones "Hun", mainly cause I am crap with names and they are permies so I don't really care to remember them. A few times someone has objected and I have adjusted it for future conversations with them. If they had gone to HR and made a formal complaint it would have been massive over reaction, a quite word usually solves most problems

I reckon you're probably on thin ice with this one. I just wouldn't bother with either where a simple Cheers or Ta would do. It easy to be informal without having to speak like Jamie Oliver.

[Mich the Tester]

"Get your tits out for the lads, ma'am" is surely much better than just plain 'get your tits out for the lads".

[mudskipper]

"Get your tits out for the lads, ma'am" is surely much better than just plain 'get your tits out for the lads".

That's sexist. Some girls like tits too.

"Get your tits out for the lads and dykes" would be far safer.

[Mich the Tester]

That's sexist. Some girls like tits too.

"Get your tits out for the lads and dykes" would be far safer.

Indeed, much more inclusive; I stand corrected. Ma'am. How about now?

[Halo Jones]

Daily sexism is rife, & in the majority I believe its “banter” & it’s easier to ignore it than make a comment & be labelled a trouble making feminist nutter.

The problem is, that it is slowly becomes part of the societal norm, which then leads on to comments “well she was wearing a low cut top so she was asking for it” in rape cases which IMHO says that we should treat all men as barely controlled potential rapists.

I don’t see myself as a feminist; I am just a girl in construction doing my job & getting on with it, a lead by example type of attitude. Fortunately it seems that a building site is more equal than most offices.

Although a co-worker was a bit taken aback when he commented that “his girl is getting to the age where she will need the talk about being safe” & I said I take it that you have had the talk with you boy about what is consent. His response basically said boys know better but girls need to be educated... that p1$$ed me off


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[MyUserName]

That's sexist. Some girls like tits too.

"Get your tits out for the lads and dykes" would be far safer.

This is why I stick with just "Get your tits out". It is far more PC.

[Mich the Tester]

The problem is, that it is slowly becomes part of the societal norm, which then leads on to comments “well she was wearing a low cut top so she was asking for it” in rape cases which IMHO says that we should treat all men as barely controlled potential rapists.

You should be very wary of slippery slope arguments.