“you’re just a baby.”
Today, I was called to HR to fill out some paperwork they “missed” on my intake (several years ago). The man who handled the paperwork pulled my information up for me to confirm that it was correct, including my birthdate. He took one look at my birthday and said “woah, 19**, you’re just a baby.” No, I am a fully-grown woman, older than the employees he would be handling in “intake,” with a Master’s degree and a professional career. He then commented that I was the same age as his son. “Is your son a ‘baby’?” I asked. He responded that no, he guessed not, he’s married and has a child (so, no, I’m not abnormally young).
Would he have said the same thing to a man? Called him a baby in a cube farm with other employees milling about within earshot? Does he consider this “baby” to be an educated and competent professional? The sad thing is, I get this all the time, from men who are sometimes only a few years older than me. Sometimes these men make these remarks at times when I’m telling them what to do in a professional capacity. I’ve even been in situations where a younger, subordinate male colleague will be called “sir” and me “hon.” All a part of not taking women seriously.
Submitted by Dax
Location: Work, Federal Agency
Time of harassment: Day Time (9:30A-3:30P)
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