Gender, and perceived ownership of property

I currently have some tradespeople working in my yard - the guttering in my PPoR is being replaced. I've had to stay home while it's being done (need to keep the pets indoors so that they don't get out of the yard and get hit by traffic).

I've just overheard the most amazing comment outside my study window. The owner (?) of the business has shown up to check on the job, and asked one of the workers (a young guy) if the house owner was home. The response was basically not a "yes", but a "well, the wife is home", as if they have to be mutually exclusive.

I almost choked on my coffee! Do people still think that men own and run the 'important' stuff (like property, and making serious financial decisions), while women just 'look after the daily running of the household and mind the kids'? Boy, the discussion I could have with that tradie..........

Please believe me when I'm not trying to start a sexism debate here - I was honestly just flawed that a thought process like that still existed (especially from such a young guy).

 

Yes its bad! I hear it in real estate as well when a female offers on a house and the agent asks if their husband / dad is available to discuss.

 

Many do!

 

Just yesterday one of our banks called DH to query something, he doesn’t have a clue about our finances(I do involve him)! We are both home sick atm so I was able to take the call but the patriarchy is alive and well entrenched in the system @KayTea...

 

Well.. there are actually many (modern day?) women who perpetuate this "bias". They have zero interest in 'property stuff/financial decisions' etc.. and even the task of having to deal with a tradesman bores them.

The chances are your young tradie has a mum or girlfriend like this?

P.S I do many house inspections and am not a fan of the type I just described

 

Wouldnt want to be around Darlinghurst asking if the husband is home

I wonder how they go with same sex couples ?

 

I wonder if the young fella said it because he already knows the Boss is "like that" and will only talk to the man.

 

Not sure what you mean.

 

Yep, true - I see them doing the primary school drop-off/pick-up run (usually in their very expensive gym gear, wearing a full face of makeup and with perfectly manicured nails). Oh, the life some lead.........

Dealing with tradesmen doesn't bore me - it just frustrates the heck out of me. When I call/email 5 different companies to get a quote, and none of them call back, my wasted time becomes evident (and I get very antsy with people as a result). I don't think that happens because I'm female, but I really don't know why they don't get in touch.

 

No I think that pleasure is shared evenly, what amazes me is when someone wastes their own time to turn up to quote but fail to provide one. Or worse still never do what they say they will do.
Communication, just say you are too busy, not interested, it’s too hard, not my area of expertise but don’t waste my time.

 

My experience lately of young guys particularly at work is that they are far worse in their assumptions than the older ones. The scale seems to have tipped backwards.

 

I think it may have been confused.
The worker may have been implying that the owner is home, but the wife- so that the boss didn’t have to wonder which of the owners is home (the husband or wife)
We have a construction business and work in clients homes, and I will tell tradesmen that the wife or the husband/daughter etc (or other describing word) is home for access etc. I think they were just being specific as to which of the owners were home.
Having said that I have had clients think I don’t have a clue when quoting since I’m a woman, however they soon shut up when I floor them with my technical knowledge

 

The wife owns 99% of our place and I the other 1%.

If she heard a conversation like this, she would have no hesitation in correcting the parties involved .

 

old habit dies hard, takes many generations to change the attitudes

What if you hear it the other way around
I think the husband is home?

 

This ^^^^^^^

 

...and this ^^^^^

 

I emailed hubby and told him, too - he just laughed (at our place I deal with property and finances, while he does the grocery shopping and cooks).

I figured it was best not to challenge the guys who are currently working on my house - I'd like them to finish the job......

 

How about, when asked if the owner was home, the guy just replied with a simple "yes" - gender is irrelevant. The way it was answered was very much a case of him saying that the owner wasn't, but the wife was, instead.