It didn't take me long to discover that what I was going through was not unique to me. The comments, the office mimics, the stares and the ostracism were shared by many women. Some who had had babies years before; others who had had them recently. We all started talking. I took more notes.
I had two reactions. The first was utter dismay. I couldn't believe that these supervisors and managers had gotten away with this crap for so long. My second reaction was joy. It wasn't like I was happy that other women had been harassed and discriminated against . I was happy that I wasn't alone. I also discovered that the harassment didn't only come from the male supervisors and managers in the office. It came from some of the women too. Knowing that really hurt.
The offending female manager was a climber. She would have climbed over anyone at any time to get ahead. She was competent but she wasn't smart. She was a "yes woman". "Yes sir." "Whatever you ask sir." Critical thinking skills were not her forte. One of my female colleagues told me a story about something this manager had said to her. The manager had heard a rumor in the office that one of her employees, my colleague, may be pregnant. Without any verification whatsoever she confronted her employee. She didn't ask her if she was pregnant. She didn't take her into an office to discuss her future plans. Instead, with the tact of a drunken sailor, she told the woman "If you are pregnant I will kill you." No discussion was had. No questions were asked or answered. She walked off after she made the statement in front of several people. That statement could qualify in many states as assault. It was certainly something that would never be said to a man.
Soon word spread about how the female manager felt about any of her employees coming up pregnant. Her attitude and words chilled the work place. Her female employees no longer confided in her. They no longer told her anything that they didn't have to. It was sad to watch her try to manage a unit of women who had no respect for her.
I guess the old adage that those who live by the sword die by the sword had some truth to it. She was gone from work for two days. She hadn't called in. One of the secretaries was sent to her home to check on her. She found her body. She had been bludgeoned to death. Her killer was never found.
Such a tragedy. But even more so the tragedy manifested when we all watched the scramble over her dead body for her management position.
Comments