Laboring in the Longhouse

The Work is Female

This is a Carousel guest piece by an anon

The > 80% Female Workplace

I worked for five years at a media agency that was over eighty percent female. For the first few years, I reported to a straightforward young man of German Catholic ancestry, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was known to be devout although he otherwise kept his religion to himself, and thereby got away with it. He was no-nonsense, and I enjoyed serving under someone of high moral character. He in turn reported directly to the CEO, also a man. No women existed in my chain of command.

My boss had a long term girlfriend, and, although he was usually the first one in and last one out of the office, he spent almost no time whatsoever fraternizing with the broader team. That he no longer attended company events, even the sacred holiday party, was frequently mentioned to me by the women. He could get away with this, however, having a familial relationship with a member of the board of directors. 

I had no such security. When w…