Member-only story
She refused to Hire Me Because of My Gender
She’d decided to hire a man before interviewing me
My interviewer was a middle-aged woman clad in plaid pajama bottoms and a band shirt with a hole near her armpit. Her hair was piled into a messy bun atop her head, and she burped as she reached out and shook my hand. She didn’t excuse her belch, and her hand was sweaty. I stood there, frozen with a mix of horror and disgust, as she released my now damp hand.
She grabbed an open bag of Cheetos from the register and told me to follow her. She led me to the mall’s food court and burped again when she sat down. “So, the pay here is 7.25. I can’t afford to give you more,” she started.
I wasn’t sure how to react, but my need to be polite kept me seated. Maybe she wanted me to leave. “That’s fine,” I mustered, but it wasn’t.
“To be honest, too many women work here. We sell stuff for men too, and we need a male associate to help them,” she said as she wiped Cheeto dust on her shirt.
I blinked, shocked at what she’d said. She’d known I was female when she received my application. She’d also been the one to call me to set up my interview, so she’d heard my voice. I couldn’t understand why my gender was an issue after I’d shown up for the interview.
