There has been no advancement after more than seven years in this dismal place.  The boss-man continues to discriminate, claiming that if there is a time where I do advance then he would have to advance one of my male coworkers as well or it will not be “equal”.  Equality? Equality does not always equate fairness. Equality can be manipulated.

If you look at the timeline, the new guy advanced to a position in less than a year for what  took me several years to obtain.  How is that equal? How is that fair? Before we added staff it was just me and my boss. I took over things when he was gone.  I was running around working events, working the the studio, working the gallery, working off-site, and I had to deal with all matters of production: pre-production, production, and post. 

The new guy only works events since my boss decided to specialize roles, so basically he has less responsibility yet was able to advance more quickly.  It looks like the same old story repeats itself,  and in yesterday’s heated conversation my boss made sure I knew that if a senior position came up he would consider the new guy over me.  The new guy who has become his new favorite sidekick. 

The new guy was pretty frustrated, not at my boss, but at me, and said he didn’t want to hear our conversation.  He took standing up for myself as putting him down, and I found myself, once again, in a room of men who were against me.  Men who denies to discriminate, but they do.  Discrimination is a privilege one is blind to.  Male privilege. here.  They congregate and prop each other up.  If you look at this field you can systematically see it as they dominate the industry while the women silently try to assimilate.  Occasionally, when the moon is blue, a token will rise.

My boss reminded me that seniority doesn’t exist in this place.  When I called him out on discrimination he denied it and said that it’s not about who has worked longer, but who is right for the job.  Who is right for the job?  The guy who has not touched editing since he has been here?  I guess I’m not right because I’m not the right gender.

I advised my boss that he should take some gender discrimination classes.  He says he did.  It comes to show that people can take the classes and not really learn anything.  Rather than acknowledging my feelings he chose to dismiss it altogether and deny discrimination has ever taken place.  If the problem is not acknowledged than how can it ever be solved?  I guess that is why it continues.  It’s just subtle and silent.  The department’s solution is to give these men a slap in the hand and send them off to a class so the institution doesn’t get sued.  It’s all about liability and lip service.

In a way, the military was better off than this place because, regardless of gender, they actually looked at the number of years you put in. They were actually loyal to the people who were loyal back.  Men and women didn’t have to worry about someone advancing over someone else due to gender.  

Not at this place.  

Not here.