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In 2017 workplace sexism and gender inequality are still major issues. As we know, the gender pay gap is already a problem, with SA women being paid 15 - 17% less than their male counterparts, as reported by The Conversation.
Then there's the fact that women are less represented in the workplace. According to HR Pulse, for every 100 South African male business owners, there are just 25.5 women and there are nearly 50% less female leaders in the business sector than men.
So there's a lot to be desired when it comes to workplace equality - something which many people are still in denial about.
Recently, a male journalist was confronted with this when he conducted an experiment with his female colleague.
Martin Schneider, a writer and editor at Front Row Central opened up about the experiment in a series of tweets that have since gone viral. The tweets explain what he learned when he and Nicole Hallberg switched email signatures for a week.
So here's a little story of the time @nickyknacks taught me how impossible it is for professional women to get the respect they deserve:
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Nicole and I worked for a small employment service firm and one complaint always came from our boss: She took too long to work with clients.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
(This boss was an efficiency-fetishizing gig economy-loving douchebag but that's another story.)
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
As her supervisor, I considered this a minor nuisance at best. I figured the reason I got things done faster was from having more experience
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
But I got stuck monitoring her time and nagging her on the boss' behalf. We both hated it and she tried so hard to speed up with good work.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
One day, he accidentally sent emails to a client under Nicole's name and the client was very rude to him.
So one day I'm emailing a client back-and-forth about his resume and he is just being IMPOSSIBLE. Rude, dismissive, ignoring my questions.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Telling me his methods were the industry standards (they weren't) and I couldn't understand the terms he used (I could).
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Anyway I was getting sick of his shit when I noticed something.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Thanks to our shared inbox, I'd been signing all communications as "Nicole"
He then changed back to his email signature and the client's responses immediately changed.
IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT. Positive reception, thanking me for suggestions, responds promptly, saying "great questions!" Became a model client.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
This is when Martin and Nicole decided to do an experiment for two weeks where they switched email signatures.
We did an experiment: For two weeks we switched names. I signed all client emails as Nicole. She signed as me.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Folks. It fucking sucked.
I was in hell. Everything I asked or suggested was questioned. Clients I could do in my sleep were condescending. One asked if I was single.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Nicole had the most productive week of her career.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
I realized the reason she took longer is bc she had to convince clients to respect her.
By the time she could get clients to accept that she knew what she was doing, I could get halfway through another client.
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
(I mean, she knew she was being treated different for being a woman, she's not dumb. She just took it in stride.)
— Martin R. Schneider (@SchneidRemarks) March 9, 2017
Nicole went on to write a post on Medium describing how she wasn't shocked about the results of the experiment. She also continued to question her boss's refusal to believe that sexism exists even with the evidence given to him.
Nicole has since resigned and started her own business writing blogs and doing web copy as a freelancer.
Yaass to calling out workplace sexism!
