22 incredibly sexist comments women have heard at work.

1. A site manager refused to shake my hand and hugged me instead because 'girls don't shake hands'

2. A bloke the other day said 'it's lucky you're not a bloke I'd have knocked you out' he then said it was lucky our undergrad was with me (whatever that means) in a tone that suggested I was his junior

3. A suggestion that the reason I was promoted was because I'd slept with a superior

There's been quite a few but not as many as I think I'd have expected considering I work in construction!

I've got a good'un.

Worked in recruitment in my early 20s. Team of 7 blokes and myself. My director was ex army and a right 'geezer'. One afternoon said to me in front of the whole team; "get off the phone, put your knickers back on and make us all a cuppa".

Charming

Thankfully, working in a mostly female dominated field I have little experience of sexism. I however, my head of service often startsca sentence with "I'm not being sexist or any but women...... . ( can't remember some of the comments but usually around us being less physically strong & more emotional. X

I had a moment like that with one of our security guards last week. Apparently female staff always take ages off after being beaten up. Hmm better tell one of our male nurses who has been off for over a month after being beaten up by a patient.

When I was 18 I got a door sales job 'because you look good and people will let you stand at their door longer and if it's a man who answers flirt a little, they part with cash better'.

I never turnt up to my first day of work...

I worked with meter readers many moons ago in my company, it was quite sweet (albeit totally unnessecary) when we used to go to a depot and a memo would go round to 'watch the language lads, ladies present'.

Positive discrimination?

I work in a very female dominated environment so there is probably more sexism against men!

ETA not sure if this counts although it was technically while I was working... I punctured a tyre and the Green Flag man who came to fix my tyre started complaining to me about women drivers. Umm, know your audience mate?!

Not my work, but I cooked a meatloaf for my OH, he took it to work in his pack-up and shared some with his boss. Next time I went in his boss said to me (in front of my OH and customers) 'That meatloaf was f*****g good, if you'll make me one I'll give you a good bunting every day for a week' - The 'good bunting' part of it was accompanied by groin thrusting in my direction!

OH quit his job 3 days later.

There's three of us in our sub team at work, me and another woman who are in our 30s and have worked there for years (I've been there 9), and then we got an assistant to help us as work loads were getting bigger, he's a 24 year old man. We work with a group of about 50 academics, most of whom are men.

Most of them now go to our assistant if there are problems they need rectified - even though he has to then ask us.

I have a good relationship with the academics, but I think they now think the assistant is above us??

My old boss went to the MD to ask for a payrise for me, when i got it, i popped my head in to say thanks and i got "well, he really sang your praises - are you sleeping with him?"

He also once stood by my bank of desks and started asking us if it was true that fat women are better in bed because we're more greatful!!!

The guy is a walking lawsuit, but he has a "don't you know who i am" attitude (he's trying to sue the DWP for asking him about his pension procedures!!!) but the ironic thing is he's just got rid of one of his other managers for inappropriate behaviour!!!

i don't work there anymore!

I don't think hitched has enough room for me to list them all. Working with butchers int he north-east meant I had a massive long list but basically along the lines of why was I takign men's job away from them. I was a manager of my department and when I customer asked to speak to the manager abotu an order and I turned up they would usually respond with but you are a woman... yes you don't use a penis to chop meat but a knife. At my interview I was asked abotu whether I was considering having children. I responded by askign were they goign to be asking the men applicants the same thing as I wasn't sure how it would effect me doing the job. I sometimes wonder if I got the job because they realised they had made a monumental mistake in asking that question...

I'm the only woman in my team and work with 10 electricians and 5 other office based guys. The electricians have never said anything sexist to me.

The office guys are pretty tame too, just tell me to make them tea and I tell them to chuff off as I don't drink the stuff so I'm not going to make it for them!

My manager jokingly says he's going to sack me before I get knocked up to save on maternity pay. He is joking though as I've given them plenty of reasons to sack me and it's not happened! ?

I think my workplace is more ageist than sexist. You haven't got a chance of being taken seriously if you are under 40. Having said that, I think it is worse is you are a woman under 40. I have never, ever in my working life experience any real sexism, but my current boss in in his 60's and occasionally makes comments about women being treated better before feminism took hold...

Once a female customer asked to speak to the manager and when I said "I'll just transfer you to [her name]" she said "isn't there a man I can speak to?" I was too flabbergasted to say anything. Also I've had several customers comment on my tattoos ("what did your mum say when she saw that on your arm?"), which isn't sexism exactly, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't say the same things to a man. I have none from staff though - the men I work with are mostly gay and pretty respectful. I did work with a guy in my last job who was very flirty and I could probably have complained about, but I just gave as good as I got. I was a lot younger and less sensitive about these things!

Sorry to pick you up on this but I dislike the idea that somebody recating to sexist comments and misoygny are being sensitive. It implies a weakness whereas I believe standing up to it is more of a strength. It is easier to not react to comments but to stand up and say no it inappropriate to even joke about sacking somebody because they could get pregnant is a strength not a weakness.<gets off soapbox and scruttles away)

No, you're quite right. In the case I'm referring to, it's so long ago that my exact memory of the events has faded, and I now can't be sure whether they fell under the category of 'friendly banter' or whether they could be perceived as harassment. I think if it happened now it would upset me cos I'm a lot older and I do consider myself more sensitive. I dunno, I'm tired and not explaining it very well, but I do agree with you!

Thank you for understanding I dislike the word. I think more aware would be a better word.

I once had a boss who told me, in front of the whole office, if I could lose 3 stone but keep the same size boobs I'd be in with a chance.....

Needless to say I don't work there anymore

First day of medical school. We're in the dissecting room, I'm being grilled by one of the demonstrators (who is a retired consultant surgeon). I drop a pair of scissors, and his immediate response is "And that's why we shouldn't let women do medicine."

And then there's the whole being called "nurse" thing. Not that there's anything wrong with being a nurse, but when I've introduced mysef as a doctor and done a bunch of doctory things, it's a bit annoying to hear "So when am I going to see the doctor then?"

Working in construction, I still get them every now and again..

1. Site agent asked if there needed to be any extra risk assessments done with a woman on site.

2. When pregnant was asked if it was safe for me to be in the office.

3. Customer in front of other people asked what size my bra was!

4. Site agent asked "Whats a pretty girl like you doing in a mans world?"

5. When driving an HGV, guy in the garage asked if my boss knew I was driving it.

My favourite by a long way..

6. When a new guy started he asked "What do you do, make tea and make the office look pretty?", I answered "Actually I'm your boss's boss". He didnt last very long!

Worst sexism I've ever experienced was from another woman. She was head of our department at university and at the interview stage she told all the female candidates not to get married during the 4 year course but didn't bring it up with the male candidates. Quite a few of us got married in that time and I'm pretty sure she never even knew about it. One girl had a baby and she told her she was throwing her career away whereas our male professor was very supportive.

Not that it excuses anyone, but isn't this a quote from a Fast Show character? (John Actor plays a tough, uncompromising (insert job here))

Yes! https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/monkfish.shtml I suspect the person in the above case was repeating it from the Fast Show thinking he was being HILARIOUS.

I constantly have customers assume that any male colleague working with me is the manager and not me.

If I yawn (which given I suffer from a sleep disorder is quite frequent!) I have had male customers wink and say something along the lines of 'what were you up to last night then?' then offer a repeat performance.

I've had a customer tell me that its a good thing he hasn't got a head for heights or he would climb the ladder on my tights.

The worst I can remember was a customer who had a history of making sexually inappropriate comments tell me that if he was being a pain in my arse he was obviously doing it wrong.

Most of the time I just smile and kill them with kindness but every now and then I snap.

I've never really had much of this, only once years back I was basically given a job (I didnt learn this til later)as a temporary receptionist for two blokes who were nice enough but thought they were a bit special because i 'was slim and looked the part' (no idea?!) - i was a *** receptionist, really bloody awful - i hope they learned their lesson.

I got asked in a sales meeting with a prospective client last week on what my plans for pregnancy were as clearly i am at a fertile age!!

I couldn't believe what i was hearing! He then went on to say that he needed to know as he wouldn;t want me taking time off/ leave if he were to sign with us as a company. My jaw hit the floor!

My first full time job was on reception and my boss told me once 'well I didn't hire you just cos of your qualifications did I' with a wink.

I was one of 2 females in an all male engineering team after that (funny enough where I met my husband!) and got my fair share of flirty remarks (I was 20 when I joined and probably the most exciting thing to happen to them for a while) but none were outright sexist.

This happens a lot! A friend of mine when he was training to be a nurse got sick of this. When he was doing a placement on a gynae ward them women would start whipping there clothes off but once he said he was a nurse and not a doctor then he would get the hump! He is now wanting to convert to being a midwife which for some reason gets some women really angry.

If he can be emotive and supportive and trained then fabulous. However I do know some women would feel uncomfortable a man whether he be doctor, nurse, midwife etc

I meant to write that they would get the hump -he would be bemused!

He is very much Pittabre.