I'm going to start off this post with a little bit about myself.
I'm a computer technician. I started working with computers in 1994 in Germany at AAFES (Army and Airforce Exchange Service). Since then I have worked at a Fortune 500 company, a national computer sales/repair franchise, and, currently, at a small family owned computer store.
Attitudes towards women technicians have changed a lot since I started, and in my opinion they've changed for the better. When I started at the Fortune 500 company only 10% of the technicians were women, and now that number is closer to 30%. We are making strides forward in the corporate environment.
The small locally owned business environment though... that one can be a little tricky.
I left my last job because I have health issues. I have my current job because I was lucky enough to know the manager of my Friendly Local Computer Store (FLCS). He hired me part time, and I am so grateful to him. Because of him I feel like I'm still contributing to my family. I get out of the house. I get to talk to people. I get to work with computers. I love my job and I love all my co-workers.
When I first started working at the FLCS I dyed my hair to cover the gray, and I was routinely asked if the manager of the store was my husband/boyfriend. Since I got tired of explaining how old I am, I decided to let my hair go grey. And now, I'm routinely asked if my coworkers are my children.
Now, if I was a certain type of Feminist Social Justice Warrior, I would spin this to mean that the people asking these questions were implying that the only possible way a woman could get a job as a technician was through her vagina: either letting someone in or pushing someone out.
That isn't my thought process. My thought process is that these people are not malicious, instead they are all well meaning and just want to indulge in some harmless gossip. So I laugh and say no, we're not related. And then I get on with my life.
It's all about putting things into perspective, most people don't realize that their words can be spun into something malicious, so don't judge them harshly. And I believe we have to keep this perspective in everything we do, even #GamerGate and #NotYourShield.
Month of Thankfulness Day 6: I am Thankful for co-workers who bring me soup. (Thanks Phil! I appreciate it)