@nikipedia How old is he? Not that I think being old and of the older generation is an excuse, but at least it would explain something. I ask because if he is older he may not be used to thinking of women as intelligent people, which is a bigger problem. If you had asked him some really difficult/technical/etc… questions, he may have realized that he is wrong. (Not that I’m blaming you, but just a random thought for next time. Its not really your job to to change his messed up assumptions).
In terms of how this affects my recommendations… I think you need some support from other women if you are going to make a complaint. Otherwise its he-said she-said and if he is generally respected, you’ll lose.
@Pied_Pfeffer ” A private word can often make someone aware of the result of their action and stop it there”
I’ve heard that before but never seen it in action. I assume that is because it happens in private. I’d be curious to know if there is any data on this. Personally, I think it would work with me, but I wouldn’t want to extrapolate from my situation.
“especially if there is a company policy.”
That makes a lot of sense. Awareness + fear.
“The company I worked for had a Zero Tolerance policy when it came to any type of harassment.”
Depending on what qualifies as harassment, I’d agree with this. So, tying promotions to sex should be one strike and your out. A quick glance at a woman’s breasts during a meeting should probably not be. Somewhere in between is where I’d draw the line, though I don’t know exactly where.
@chyna We’re sadly not there yet. But things are getting better. Just think about the situation 10 or 20 years ago. Yes, it’d be nice if we were further along, but all we can do is push a little bit at a time.