Dealing with sexist and rude comments at work is something most professional women deal with. You would think this only exists at work, but according to researchers sexism exists almost everywhere… even on the streets. In short, women aren’t safe anywhere and could be prone to something harsh at any time of the day. If you are a working woman or have faced sexism at some point of your life, this post is must for you. In this article we are going to discuss the top sexist comments women hear at all times at work. Who knows? You might have heard some of them.
Sexy Comments at Work Women Hear Everyday:
1. “You Got it! Clever Girl”
If you have heard something like this, then you surely have experienced something sexist. A lot of you probably thought your boss was complimenting you when he said this. But trust us when we say this… he didn’t! It’s like giving into those pre-conceived notions that women are dumber than men and that it takes time for them to understand things. Ideas like this have only existed in the past and have been equally painful to listen. We don’t know how girls keep up with this thing at work.
2. “What? Are you Driving?”
Now if you are a woman and you drive, we are sure you must have heard some of your male friends teasing you. In fact, one of us was once told by a friend that women look best when they are seated behind and not in the driver’s seat. And yes, it was very annoying. But you don’t have to keep up with this anymore. Next time someone tries to tell you something as sexist as this, tell them that women drive better and safer than men according to statistics. Women can deal with the wheel better, than you can!
3. “All girls love pink, romantic comedies and makeup”
This is one of the most common sexist comments women have to deal with when they are at work. To surprise all of you boys out there, all women are not fond of the colour pink and neither do they enjoy putting on makeup. There are people of different kinds and not all enjoy the same. In fact, there are some kinds of men who like to watch romantic comedies and spend the day at a spa instead of going to work.
4. “What are you doing here? You should be in the kitchen!”
If you have heard something like this at work, please learn to stand up for yourself and give a guy a piece of your mind. Let him know that cooking is an art and it is to be learnt. Women have to put in a whole lot of time and effort just like men do. Nowhere does it mention in science or any kind of research that women have been gifted with cooking skills. And the world certainly does need some feminism because not all women know how to cook and they don’t have to.
5. “Women don’t need to put any effort! Things come easy to you”
There are men who like to believe that women don’t have to work hard and that things come very easily to them because of their assets. And if you ever see someone speaking like that to you at work, don’t stop yourself from giving them a good comeback. Let them know that assets aren’t everything and that they need to put in a whole lot of effort in order to get good conduct just like them. Also let them know that putting up with sexist comments like these make it all the more difficult for you.
6. “Why are you angry? Are you PMSing?”
Women tend to get very irritated when they are on their periods. But that doesn’t mean she must be on it whenever she gets mad. This is a popular pre conceived notion and sexist comment the ladies have to deal with at office. Do know that women can get mad because it is natural to get angry and that it doesn’t always have to do with her menstruation. You have to do something insensitive to piss anyone off. So maybe try to check with yourself instead of just putting across something sexist like that.
7. “You are doing great for a girl”
Women are definitely no strangers to this non compliment. They have heard it almost everywhere and will hear it again in the future. That’s because ideas like this have been embedded in their mindset. But there are many guys who put this condescending statement to show that women are actually capable of something while they contain to maintain their sexist beliefs. It would be difficult to actually find a man who has been told he does really well, despite his gender.
8. “Why work? You will have so many kids one day”
Throughout history, women have been respected and valued for their capacity to reproduce. And that is a good thing! But the problem is… most tend to think that the ability of a woman is just confined there. Women have been reduced to the position a domestic provider and server and that there is nothing beyond that can be expected. So hearing things like “You are going to have kids one day” comes very naturally to a lot of people. The fact that women can do a lot more than bear kids and watching over them is not even considered.
9. “We can’t work. Your body is distracting”
Being a woman can get really difficult at your workplace. We understand that dress codes matter in all offices but one must not forget that clothes are often dictated by gender. So if a woman doesn’t fit into what is expected out of her, her clothes become distracting. Ultimately we should strive for a world where comments like these are not imposed on anybody. But apart from just eradicating such statements, we also must question the power dynamics that still allow them to exist between us. And that will really help things evolve.
Other Sexist Comments:
1. The virgin and slut question:
Another popular sexist quote that annoys any women is being called either a virgin or a slut. There are two kinds of girls according to this generation. The first one is a virgin… of course this kind of girl is a bore because she is waiting for marriage. And the second one is a slut because she chose to have sex with whoever she wanted. It is like a woman can’t leave in peace. She has to fall in one of these categories and both are degrading. Sad we live in a world like this.
2. Body part Comment:
If you are a woman, you have definitely had one of your body parts labelled at some point of your life. And that certainly feels rude and insulting. What is more surprising is that some people at work actually think it is some kind of a compliment when it really isn’t. According to researches, most women are prone to comments like this even before they turn 17. So imagine the plight of those who are working in an office.
3. Calm down:
Telling a woman to calm down when she is expressing her opinion sounds very rude and insulting. It simply looks like they cannot speak their mind or have a choice of their own. The demise of this phrase is actually quite long overdue. The sad part is when men express such a view it is never a problem, but if and when a girl does it, it becomes a huge problem. We really wish that wasn’t the problem and that people would just refrain from judging others.
4. A girl is a girl’s biggest enemy:
Whoever said something like this clearly isn’t aware of what soul sisters really means. As annoying as it can get, a lot of people like to believe all women hate each other from inside when that is definitely not the case. People can hate one another but women have nothing to do with it as such.
5. Revealing clothes:
If a woman wears revealing clothes to work, it doesn’t mean she is asking for it. Girls like to dress because they want to. Simple! She is not thinking of you or attracting any of your guy friends when she puts on something new.
Listening to harsh, rude and such stereotypical comments at work are quite common for women these days. They have become such a daily routine that most don’t even feel the need to fight it out. A lot of girls usually don’t say much because they don’t want to get into an argument! But we would suggest you to stop making it a habit and speak up for yourself. Be polite and let them know that such sexism will not be tolerated by you in the future. And then notice the difference in their behaviour.
