I currently work in a largely male dominated work force. I have the skills and the experience to do my job in an efficient and timely manner. What I don't get is the respect of my male co-workers who tend to look at me as a dumb blonde (I am neither dumb nor blonde but they treat me as if I was one). Here are some examples of how I am treated differently from the men.
In my work I typically have to lift or carry objects up to 40 lbs. If the object weighs more I don't dare ask for help as "I should be able to do my job without any help lifting" even though they help each other out, but have made fun of me. I have asked for help from a supervisor who in turn delegated the lifting to one of his workers because "he was not about to do it, because he was a supervisor." By the way the objects are steel plates.
One of the managers was doing a presentation and looked right at me and said, "you do know what a failure curve looks like" - while pointing at a chart. My reply was, "yes, I even know what a bell jar graph looks like too." That was when the VP said, "she got you on that one."
Upper management seems to have caught on fast that I am not dumb but they are more educated than the group I work with. I work with the line operators that have had very little formal education and tend to be rednecks in their attitude and hobbies.
It sure is odd that most of the men are either single or have been married multiple times.
I know I should feel grateful that I have a full time job but it got to me this week when I got my yearly pay rate hike and got only 16 cents more an hour!!! Yep, 16 cents. This is where the men I work with are getting $24 to $35 an hour and I am just about 1/2 of that rate. Yep, under paid, under appreciated and a woman in a mans work world because I am qualified
It sure does suck working with a bunch of testosterone hyped up gorillas with tats that love to talk about guns, motorcycles and all the toys they have just bought, while my family struggles just to find money for the house insurance bill.
