A double standard

[JoeyBoy718]

Yea I worked at a retail store my first 2 years of college. I didn't mind doing the work because it kept me busy and made my day go by faster, but I did have the same exact conversations with the other male employees. It was an everything store--electronics, clothing, food, tools, etc. Everyone got paid the same amount of money. The girls' jobs were to operate the registers, assist customers, and straighten the store. The guys' jobs were to operate the registers, assist customers, straighten the store, clean up spills, carry out items to customers' cars, hang signs, go outside and round up shopping carts, unload merchandise that arrived on trucks and load it in the stock room, take out the merchandise from the stock room and put it on the shelves in its appropriate location. As you see, there was definitely a stereotype affecting how a person's job was dictated. It wasn't like one guy and ten girls working in an office and whenever someone needs a box lifted they ask the guy. It was an entire different set of duties because of gender. I also worked in an office for 2 years before I started college with mostly females and I was asked occasionally to do minor things because I was a male. That didn't bother me at all. I actually rather enjoyed it. It made me feel like a gentleman. However, what the OP is talking about and what I experienced is something totally different.

[Manwiththeplan]

Originally Posted by joseephuss

They could say you are the most qualified to do the heavy lifting because you are the strongest. Are you? Maybe you bring the requisite skills and talents to get that manual labor done the best. That would be different than saying it is because you are just a man. Can you say the same about cleaning? Is a woman inherently more qualified to clean?

exactly.You'd have a point if you were 5'2 110 pounds and worked with women who are 6'2 170 with biceps the size of your head. But assuming that's not the case, having you do the heavy lifting is more efficient.

In your scenario, with it being all men and one woman, you can't argue that a woman is more efficient at cleaning just because she's a woman.

[MonsterD]

I have no idea what kind of mentality the women have where you work, but I have worked at a store where 70% of the employees were female. The women at that place just worked together in tandem and used the appropriate equipment to lift and move heavy things. Also there were women who specifically asked to be stock workers who were fine with physical labor, of course the were about 6' plus and 200lbs, but they had no problems either.

I think the stock staff or the equipment should have been used and everyone perpetuated the "only this big guy can do that work" attitude there.

[JoeyBoy718]

Originally Posted by Manwiththeplan

exactly.You'd have a point if you were 5'2 110 pounds and worked with women who are 6'2 170 with biceps the size of your head. But assuming that's not the case, having you do the heavy lifting is more efficient.

In your scenario, with it being all men and one woman, you can't argue that a woman is more efficient at cleaning just because she's a woman.

Well, I just posted my experience, which sounds almost identical to the OP's, and I'm not a big guy, I'm 5'6" 130 lbs, and I had to do all the heavy lifting as well.

[a_minimalist]

Originally Posted by JoeyBoy718

Yea I worked at a retail store my first 2 years of college. I didn't mind doing the work because it kept me busy and made my day go by faster, but I did have the same exact conversations with the other male employees. It was an everything store--electronics, clothing, food, tools, etc. Everyone got paid the same amount of money. The girls' jobs were to operate the registers, assist customers, and straighten the store. The guys' jobs were to operate the registers, assist customers, straighten the store, clean up spills, carry out items to customers' cars, hang signs, go outside and round up shopping carts, unload merchandise that arrived on trucks and load it in the stock room, take out the merchandise from the stock room and put it on the shelves in its appropriate location. As you see, there was definitely a stereotype affecting how a person's job was dictated. It wasn't like one guy and ten girls working in an office and whenever someone needs a box lifted they ask the guy. It was [View Full Quote]an entire different set of duties because of gender. I also worked in an office for 2 years before I started college with mostly females and I was asked occasionally to do minor things because I was a male. That didn't bother me at all. I actually rather enjoyed it. It made me feel like a gentleman. However, what the OP is talking about and what I experienced is something totally different.

Exactly. Thats another example of there being an uneven workload with no titles or wages that separate the employees.

I'm expected to do more than the women here because I'm a bigger man. I have to do their job as well as a bunch of other things. It's been a long time since I've worked this type of job. Here I thought I'd be taking a relatively easy part-time job that pays horrible to hold me over until I found a real job. I never thought I'd have to deal with this kind of nonsense.

[a_minimalist]

Originally Posted by MonsterD

I have no idea what kind of mentality the women have where you work, but I have worked at a store where 70% of the employees were female. The women at that place just worked together in tandem and used the appropriate equipment to lift and move heavy things. Also there were women who specifically asked to be stock workers who were fine with physical labor, of course the were about 6' plus and 200lbs, but they had no problems either.

I think the stock staff or the equipment should have been used and everyone perpetuated the "only this big guy can do that work" attitude there.

I've worked with plenty of women who try to do the heavy lifting. 9 times out of 10 I take over since it's easier for me. They NEVER expected me to though. This women do and stand around yapping while info all of the grunt work.

[basstapp]

I think there might be a clause in your job description that states "other duties as assigned".

[Joe Rod]

Originally Posted by a_minimalist

I've worked with plenty of women who try to do the heavy lifting. 9 times out of 10 I take over since it's easier for me. They NEVER expected me to though. This women do and stand around yapping while info all of the grunt work.

The woman that I work with pulls this crap on me all the time, but since I work from home and she is my wife she usually gets away with it

[JBond]

Originally Posted by a_minimalist

I work with basically all women at my job. They give me all of the heavy lifting and manual labor because I am a man. The manager actually said exactly that today. Am I the only one who sees a double standard here? If it was all men and one women and they made her clean because she is a woman a lawsuit would be filed in a split second.

Luckily, I'm leaving this part-time job since I finally found a full-time gig but even though I'm leaving in a week, the principle still bothers me. Am I the only one who sees a double standard here? If I was a woman and they were men it would be a case of sexism, no?

Do they at least make you lunch each day? A damn sandwich should not be too hard for them. Make them earn their keep.

[Faerluna]

You have a lot of issues with the ladies, my friend.

[arglebargle]

Just wait til you blowout your L5 disc, you'll wish you could do all that heavy lifting again! After my back went out, I remember getting this one doctor's advice: 'You are going to have to learn how to say 'No.''

On a mild counterpoint, years ago I went into an entry level job, with the strong majority of co-workers being women. As soon as I got there they told me that I wouldn't have to worry about learning the position, as 'All the men got promoted out real quickly....'

[a_minimalist]

Originally Posted by Faerluna

You have a lot of issues with the ladies, my friend.

Based off of two topics I've posted on here?

If that's the case then you have a lot of issues with men telling it how it is.

[a_minimalist]

Originally Posted by arglebargle

Just wait til you blowout your L5 disc, you'll wish you could do all that heavy lifting again! After my back went out, I remember getting this one doctor's advice: 'You are going to have to learn how to say 'No.''

On a mild counterpoint, years ago I went into an entry level job, with the strong majority of co-workers being women. As soon as I got there they told me that I wouldn't have to worry about learning the position, as 'All the men got promoted out real quickly....'

I think if I blew out my back I'd be pissed I was doing all of the grunt work. Again though, it's back to the corporate world in a week. I just find it funny how women can get away things men would be fired and chastised over.

[Future]

It probably has less to do with the fact that you're a man, and more to do with the fact that you're just stronger than them. It's more efficient for one person to do a job, than two.

I'm 5'11" and 280+ lbs...its annoying but I understand why everyone asks me to lift their crap

[a_minimalist]

Originally Posted by Future

It probably has less to do with the fact that you're a man, and more to do with the fact that you're just stronger than them. It's more efficient for one person to do a job, than two.

I'm 5'11" and 280+ lbs...its annoying but I understand why everyone asks me to lift their crap

I honestly have no problem doing the work. The problem comes when it's expected of me. I'm the workhouse and I have the tasks expected of everyone that shares the same title as me and then the tasks that they give me because I'm a man. We all get paid the same and have the exact same title. As mentioned earlier, this is a seasonal retail job. The boxes aren't that heavy. The majority are below 15lbs. If I knew they would struggle lifting something that is actually heavy I would without a doubt lift it for them and tell them to let me do it. I would never ever have a problem with that. I'm not that much of an ***. This is different. This comes down to pure laziness on their part. They are more than capable.

Life goes on though.