Sexism at the workplace: When will they look at our intelligence and not our boobs?

It's unfortunate, I have been called "Lijjat Papad" under the breath by many peeps ( who know me and don't) when I voice my opinion on the gender divide, the pay divide and sometimes just to be taken as serious as the man sitting next to me( who may be a complete idiot for all you know!). And when I saw Chris Sacca, who I think is a complete douche guest on Shark Tank- apologise along with Dave McClure for being sexist, I started to think- how much more are we supposed to prove ourselves before they look at our intelligence and not our boobs?

Why are we supposed to roll with it?

We face so much sexism in our everyday lives, that atleast the workplace must be a level playing field. But sadly no. I spoke to a couple of Indian entrepreneurs and was shocked at some of the revelations! The biggest of all is that casual sexism is part of the deal- at the job or at home. If you are female in a room full of testosterone, you are supposed to ROLL WITH IT. Untoward attention that borderlines hitting on someone ( may not be sexually, but what the hell- its sexism anyway!) is part of the norm. Some even said that no matter how little it may be, a conversation definitely changes when a woman enters the room. The vibe in the air just spikes up a little.

I hate it. I hate this constant sexism and judgement. But you know what I also hate, that we women sometimes care enough to do anything about it.

ROLL WITH IT? Why, goddamn why? It's not enough that we get boxed into sexism for stupid things such as " woman drivers are bad", or "why does she need a job? She should just take care of the baby at home", that the workplace must be divided too! Look at these women who work tirelessly to start their own companies, only to be hit on by the one person ( or entity) that could monetarily make or break their future. What is a girl supposed to do? On the one hand speaking publicly might hurt your growth trajectory while on the other, the woman inside you is distraught.

Also Read: Startups, Sexism, Stereotypes

I hate it. I hate this constant sexism and judgement. But you know what I also hate, that we women sometimes care enough to do anything about it.  A friend of mine ( who shall not be named for confidential reasons) is an entrepreneur and strongly believes in the woman cause. You know what's her constant pain point? That women don't support women centric activities at all! Let's say there is a women startup conference- the men will turn up, but the women will make excuses!

How do we expect the sexism debate to be squandered if we don't show up to the fight? No we shouldn't and never will roll with it. But we gotta show up and battle it out. The fight is important.

Views are the author's own.