Not too long ago, I experienced my first real bout of discrimination.
I was looking for a job, and I applied at a hotel that was looking for a desk clerk. I have a lot of friends who work as desk clerks, and it is a pretty sweet job. I applied, and they never called back. I recently learned this is because they thought a woman would not be able to handle the job. Now it is in a bad part of town, and I know that desk clerking often involves dealing with drunks and other unsavory characters. But I’m pretty good at handling those situations and while I appriciate them looking out for me, I really do need the job more than I need their protection.
I don’t really blame them. They are a fairly conservative Indian family. But it was still pretty unexpected and it really does suck.
I’ve experienced other forms of sexism. You’d be surprised how many guys go to stores and hit on the counter girl because they have to sit there smiling and just take it and can’t say “Fuck off you creepy perv”. And then there was the other day, when I was walking around a fellow film maker. We ran into one of his friends and were talking about our lives as film makers. Suddenly the friend turned to me and asked how my screenplay was going. I gave him a really confused look. I’ve never written a page of screenplay in my life. We’re a director/cinamatographer team and I’m the director. But somehow he just assumed the guy directed and I did something else- writing, I guess. It wasn’t hurtful or anything, it was just strange.
I guess there are little things almost every day. Probably even a lot I never noticed. But this is the first time sexism has involved something major like my not getting a job. Anyone else got stories?