Sexism at work:“Women are homemakers, not decision makers”
Why are administrative roles still full of sexist practices?
It’s a Monday morning and you have a meeting with a graphic design start-up that specialises in branding, you’ll be having these meetings with similar companies for a few weeks. As the locations change, one thing is constant. A smiley, young receptionist in all the offices you’ve visited.
A basic job description of a receptionist might give us an inkling as to why: “Welcomes visitors, looks after internal databases, follow procedures [security of building], monitors and adds to databases.”
Feminists would argue that the role of a receptionist plays directly into patriarchal stereotypes of womanhood, this is because the job of the front of house staff is to support the underbelly of an organisation.
Emily* who works for a property management company agrees, saying “my role is to be the ‘mummy of the building’, overseeing the goings-on, choosing furnishings when we decorate. And even being the first point of call to our clients when the loo won't flush or a lightbulb needs changing. Not to mention the everyday repetitive tasks like updating spreadsheets, booking meeting rooms, organising refreshments for meetings etc.”
The very idea of a receptionist, (or building matriarch) is old-fashioned and an update is overdue. The copy typing profession could be considered the world’s first modern administrative job. During this time, women were considered apt candidates for this post-industrial role due to their dainty fingers and subdued nature. Or as we would now call it, gender stereotyping.
Unfortunately, 128 years later, the gendered demographic for these roles reflects the same message — women are homemakers, not decision makers. Even today the role of the receptionist is heavily focused on skills deemed to be ‘female traits’: organisation, following instructions, attention to detail and even nurturing. Which begs the question: How have some of the most financially vulnerable yet integral women to the workforce, been excluded from today’s changing social atmosphere?
Recruitment agencies like Office Angels and Secs in The City reinforce post-feminist ideas of womanhood by using a patronising girly interface and female-centric company names.
I spoke to a Secs in the City employee, Clare about what recruiters look for in administrative roles. “It’s not uncommon for men looking for a Personal Assistant to include details of her desired appearance: ‘tall, blonde, slim. My job has given me a window into how male executives view their female employees. When they view women’s appearances and skillset as on the same level, it undermines the expertise of women and reduces them to their looks — something men don’t have to worry about.”
It’s common practice for recruiters to look for someone ‘presentable’, however being presentable should not compromise comfort. In May 2016, Nicola Thorp, a receptionist working at PwC was sent home from her temp job for not wearing heels.
In a video shared by the BBC Thorp says “20 years ago women weren’t allowed to wear trousers and its only because some women spoke up about it that things changed, I think that dress code should reflect society.”
The corporate sector seems to be worlds behind societal changes. Women in administrative roles are not only underpaid but also undervalued, which is exemplified through many receptionists going above and beyond their job description. Emily tells me “I was manning the front desk, doing procurement for several other buildings, and managing the gym all once. All the while battling with my direct manager for a pay-rise for almost two years.”
It is not uncommon for women in the workplace to overwork themselves under the guise of being a ‘good’ and ‘reliable’ employee. A study published by The Guardian shows that women suffer much more work stress than men. Often caused by sexism in the workplace, family responsibilities, unequal pay and lack of support.
Dr Judith Mohring found that “women faced additional workplace pressures, such as having to prove they were as good as men, not being valued or promoted, unequal pay, and being expected to “look the part.”
Corporations need to do more to ensure the lowest paid employees are being well looked after in the workplace and ensure that such mistreatment of women is not normalised, but penalised and such treatment of the lowest paid, and most vulnerable members of a company should be an indication its regressive values. So, in the current climate of acute social awareness, let’s speak up for the many, not the few.
