I experienced something really frustrating at work. While presenting the project report, I made a small mistake and my boss said, "You women tend to overcomplicate everything; that's why the work gets delayed." I was shocked at that moment and couldn't respond, but it's eating me up inside. Do you think I should have walked out? Or should I stay calm and take a more subtle approach?
My old boss once told me exactly this: 'Women can’t make decisions, that’s why the job isn’t getting done.' It's absolutely ridiculous. At that moment, I thought, 'Excuse me, but we haven’t seen you make decisions as a man either?' and I walked out. Thankfully, I had found a new job around that time.
Now you should question yourself too. Maybe you really made a mistake and the work got delayed? The guy might have said something because the job has been dragging on, not because you’re a woman. Instead of making it a gender issue, I suggest you focus on what lies ahead.
In such a case, the boss making generalizations based directly on gender is discriminatory behavior, yes. But if you are in a corporate company, you can file a complaint with HR for this. If you are in a smaller place, I recommend consulting an expert before taking this to a legal level.
Let me add that I usually tend to be calm, but this time I felt completely stuck. Later, when we talked in the group, no one seemed to take it too personally. Still, I got suspicious.
I think the frustrating part of the job is not just the talk, but how others see it as normal. Someone who twists words through femininity will always show their frustration like this in another matter, too. Whether you take it easy or speak openly, finding a middle ground is very difficult here.
