Today I realized I work for a pro-feminist. I work as the assistant for the CEO of a privately owned firm (hence, the company is just him), and he has always been very understanding, laid back, respectable, and non-judgmental (I got lucky). Even though my job is gendered and can be seen as sexist, it's a good part-time job while in school because I am learning about the finance field at the same time.

One example of his pro-feminism: When making mailing labels for his clients, if it is for a married couple, he always puts the woman first. He said he does this because if he were the woman and it said, "Mr. & Mrs. Whoever" he would feel offended (that was the first time I noticed his pro-feminist tendencies).

Our office is in a suite that we share with a couple other small firms. This past week, we have had a temporary tenant who used to work there come in to use his old office space. Immediately I did not like this man. I was doing work in my boss's office (he was out most of the week for meetings), and this man came looking for my boss and was like, "Wow, your boss always hires beautiful assistants." I was too caught off guard to even say anything back. Then he would make comments about me being pretty or looking nice and I was just like EWWW.

This morning my boss was in the office for the first time since this visitor has been there and he closed the door and was like, "I need to talk to you. Have you met Charles? He is..." (pause) "...sort of a creepy old man. And he makes comments to young girls, I have seen it before and it is very inappropriate. If he says anything to you and you feel uncomfortable, please tell me." (So I told him about the comments he made the other day). My boss replied, "Quite frankly, don't feel ashamed to tell him to shove it up his ass."

I was like WHOOO! I am so lucky to work here. It made my day. Hopefully my future jobs will be the same (although, sadly, I doubt it because the business world is the "man's world" and the god damn glass ceiling still exists... but they can go shove it =] One day I hope to shatter the ceiling.... just my feminist goals!)

However, in the elevator later, two men were talking about some mutual friend who is a woman. They said, "Oh, I am sure that she has found a husband who can take care of her; she is such a pretty woman." I wanted to throw up on them.

But I don't know them and will never see them again and am just reveling in my no-tolerance-for-sexual-harassment workplace.

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January 10, 2009 2:04 AM

[0+]  bandersnatch said:

I hope one day we get to the point where working for a respectable, laid-back, understanding, pro-feminist boss is the norm, and not just "lucky."

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