Sexism: Not Just a Boy's Club

You've made it to the second interview, assured that this is nothing more than a preliminary meet and greet with your new administration. You feel confident, celebratory, and ready to get through this last step and get back to work. Two minutes into this interview, you realize that this person sitting in front of you decided before you even walked into the room that you were not going be hired. Your experience and education far surpasses hers and you are well-liked by everyone else who has met you in this office—this may have injured you, but your gender, well, that was the kill shot.

Women attacking other women and keeping them out of livable wage industries is not a new problem, but it is one that is getting a bit more attention thrown at it. Perhaps it's because most of the world witnessed a woman fully qualified for the job of running the free world passed over for the job in favor of a less intelligent, unqualified, and horribly inexperienced man. Watching women attack Hillary Clinton for just simply being a woman alerted many to this issue that plagues this North American society. It needs to be said that not all women immediately attack and try to destroy the professional career of other women. There are some that are supportive and can work well in a partnership or team environment. They go out of their way to help other women because they, themselves, have been the target of female on female sexism in the workplace.

Some of the more common forms of sexism in the workplace happen during the initial interview. Women will ask other women their marital status, if they have children out of wedlock, how many appointments they have in the near future, and what their personal likes are. This is rarely, if never, asked of men. Having worked in recruiting and human resources, I have been witness to the mistreatment of women in job interviews, and as an interviewee, I have had to dance around these illegal questions. You may believe if you do not answer them, you lessen your chance of getting hired. Let me assure you if they are asking you these questions, they were never going to hire you in the first place. The main reason being because you are a woman and the person in the charge of hiring doesn't want the gender competition in the office.

The more common type of woman on woman sexism in the workplace exists when a new woman enters the workplace and, for some reason, without instigation, a superior (in title only) decides that this new employee is going to be her focus of attack. This is usually someone who has been with the company for a number of years, has a flirtatious and ass kissing relationship with the executives, and although you are courteous and professional, she has taken to insulting your clothing, your eating habits, and then, once she has the opportunity, your work. She is doing this to create a hostile work environment and lure you into a conflict, knowing that if anyone is going to be terminated, it will be you because the paperwork that comes with terminating her is far too involved. The best thing to do in this case is to record every instance of mistreatment by keeping all emails, memos, and notes. If you can get a video of the treatment, even better. You never know when you may need it. It's crucial that women like this are exposed for what they are and that they are abusive towards only the female employees.

In order to combat sexism in the workplace, an honest conversation and revelation needs to occur. It isn't just about inappropriate touching or a dirty joke one might find offensive. Sexism works to keep women from achieving goals and security. Sexism causes depression and poverty, and it should not be ignored that women have been responsible for the destruction of other women simply because of their gender. The more this truth is exposed, the more equality can be achieved in a professional environment.