There is a massive problem with mid-level managers and higher-ups completely ignoring the complaints of sexism that were made by most women in the department during my employment there. Even when these issues were brought up to HR, there was no action taken beyond sending managers, directors, and VP’s to “sensitivity training.” Instead of sincerely acknowledging and dealing with the problem, the typical response from management was a form of victim blaming wherein female employees were instructed to “change their personalities” so they could learn to accept that the way they got treated was acceptable and normal. Meanwhile, the offenders would continue to say and do the same disrespectful things unchecked.
Offhanded comments about how a woman’s place is in the home were a routine occurrence. Likewise with comments about why male managers would rather invest their time in developing the male team members since their female counterparts would “just get pregnant and go on maternity leave eventually.” Imagine how it feels for your manager, in your one-on-one meetings, to ask direct questions about when you plan on getting pregnant and if you planned on staying with the team after. To many male members of the team, I was treated as a ticking time bomb and referred to as a "quota."
