My Pollyanna side doesn’t come out too often. In fact, some would say it doesn’t come out often enough. But when I’m employed somewhere, I like to think that I’m going to be treated and paid the same as anyone in a similar position. I’ve been wrong about this far too many times. I’ve pushed the subject to the back of my mind, mostly because when I start to think about it, my blood pressure goes up and my asthma kicks in. Personally, I like being able to breathe without the aid of a respirator. But I was reminded today of how I’ve been the victim of sexism and discrimination in the workplace…again.

 As a woman in a traditionally male field, I’ve had to deal with some pretty condescending stuff. I’m self-taught in programming, so anyone with a computer science degree looks down upon me. Good for you, you got a degree in a hard subject. I've got two degress and can write circles around you. I taught myself to do the same stuff and didn’t have to take all the hard math courses you did that you’ll rarely ever need. I'm more than willing to get into a pissing match with you about qualifications, but I've got better things to do. I’ve had men at my current job talk to me like I’m a child. They stopped when I bluntly told them in a meeting that I was just as qualified for the job as they were and wouldn’t tolerate any condescension from them. I stopped short of saying “Fuck You” and giving them the finger.

In my previous job, I was the webmaster for a public radio station. I was my own department. When I was offered the position, the pay was way below the competitive salary for similar positions elsewhere. But I had been laid off and had a family of four to support, and it paid more than the job I had just been booted out of. So, I took it. I really did enjoy working there...for awhile. Most of the people were fun and intelligent. The jerks and nimrods could usually be ignored or dismissed. The guy who I was replacing was leaving for a job that paid better. Can’t say that I blame him. And apparently the station said they “just couldn’t afford to keep him on.” Hmm. I came to find out that he was making close to $30k more than me. $30,000 more! What the f*%@! I tried to ignore this, but it was clear that the people who ran this station didn’t believe in equal pay.

After one year, it came time for my performance review. I was asked to fill out a self-assessment, which my supervisor would use in her evaluation of me. I filled it out and said that I deserved to be paid closer to the median salary for a similar position. The salary I was asking for was still less than what the other guy had been making, and was certainly within reason. She ignored my review, saying she had to take care of other reviews before mine. Months passed, and nobody was getting their reviews. She had a knack for ditching her own responsibilities, but was more than fine with collecting a near 6-figure salary. I brought up my review again and it was blown off. I started looking for a new job. I found one that paid more and had better benefits. I gave my notice and let the station president know that the only reason I left was because I needed to make more money. He could have taken that opportunity right then to offer me something more, but he didn’t. They called the guy who I had replaced and asked him if he was free to come back for awhile until they found someone permanent.

Two years later, he’s still there, making TWICE as much as I was, and they have started the job search again. Just for kicks, I applied for the job and stated my salary requirements, which I know are below what they are currently paying for my replacement and two part-time assistants to him. I still have friends there and found out that they won’t consider me because I quit. Well, so did the other guy, but they were perfectly willing to hire him back. They were also willing to pay him twice the salary. So, is it my imagination, or isn’t there some sort of discrimination going on here? If you consider my ability to write, edit, do graphic work, and program, I’m actually better qualified for the position than the other guy. Part of me wants to file a lawsuit and tell them where they can stick their discrimination and bullshit. The other part of me says to forget it because they aren’t worth my time or energy.

Would I really want to go back and work there? Thinking about how dysfunctional the place really is, no. I have a few friends who are still there who I admire and respect. One of them told me I’d be crazy to come back. After all, these are the same people who hired a marketing consultant (who happened to be the best friend of my boss) to do some work for a few months. She made close to half of my ANNUAL salary in the three months she was there. And most of the time, the rest of us had to fix stuff she screwed up or dropped the ball on. These are the same people who wouldn’t know a good idea if it bit them in the ass. How they’ve managed to not get fired by the board of directors is a mystery to me. Oh, wait. The board is just as oblivious as the executives running the place. No, they are all much more concerned about having their wine and cheese parties, socializing with other snobs like them, and generally thumbing their noses at those of us who don’t make 6-figure salaries.

Nope, I really don’t want to work there again. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a little bitter right now. I’ll get over it. My Pollyanna side just told me that karma’s a bitch and she’s headed over to the station now.