I just had a co-worker send me this extremely sexist email. This makes me so mad! What should I do about this?

Question

This is the email:
How many men does it take to open a beer?
None. It should be opened when she brings it.

Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman?
Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you.

Why do women have smaller feet than men?
It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.

How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart?
When she starts a sentence with "A man once told me..."

How do you fix a woman's watch?
You don't. There is a clock on the oven.

Why do men fart more than women?
Because women can't shut up long enough to
build up the required pressure.

If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.

What's worse than a Male Chauvinist Pig?
A woman who won't do what she's told.

Answer 1

Dandelion, have you spoken to him before about making sexist remarks? Is he constantly talking to you like this at work?

1. If he is then you need to get serious with him and tell him to stop immediately or you will report his harassment to his superiors and FILE CHARGES if necessary.... OR...

Has he just started to notice you at work? Is he interested in you personally?

2. If he has just learned that you are offended by such remarks and he "kinda" likes you, he may just be trying to get some of your attention and he may have no idea you are so terribly upset by this. The thing you need to do in that case is to speak to him privately (not in front of others) and tell him how you feel about it. Be serious and no laughs AT ALL. If he really means no harm or harassment, he will stop with the sexist jokes.

However, If he continues to do the same things, go back to the first advice............And Good luck!

Answer 2

I have worked jobs that were socially deemed to be "men's jobs." I was exposed to all sorts of sexist behaviors. For the most part I just considered the source. The source is either ignorant or stupid. Ignorance is curable; stupidity is not. I generally ignored them which often led to them giving up. When it did sorta get to me, I said or did something that made them appear stupid or silly; whatever it took to undermine their ego. People who like to partake in low class behavior usually have issues regarding their own self worth. If you are secure with your own self worth, these minor little affronts won't bother you. However, if sexist behavior escalates into a man coming on to you at work, or getting really nasty....first tell him to stop. Next, tell your supervisor. Doccument everything such as the time, date, location, & circumstances along with any witnesses names. If the supervisor doesn't correct the problem, go to their supervisor & so on until someone takes care of it. If nobody takes care of the offender, then report it to your local labor board. They will be found under the State offices listed in your telephone directory. If that still doesn't handle the problem....sue the squat out of them in civil court, but be prepared to go through a whole lot of trouble to succeed. Pick your battles. Just remember that some guys can be real idiots. Some women can too. Don't lose your sense of humor, but don't lose your self respect either. It's a balancing act. Those emails remind me of little boys in grade school who can't pull your pigtail to get your attention, so they try the next best thing they can think of. Pretty wimpy choice I'd say.

Answer 3

I agree with you that this is completely wrong. Those jokes are degrading to women and none of us should have to put up with that. Report your co-worker to a superior. If you have a female superior, that would be great. Be aware that the derogatory remarks in that email do count as sexual harassment, and the law protects you against that, especially if these jokes were personally aimed at you. If your boss won't do anything about it, I'd suggest thinking about finding a job where your rights matter. You don't deserve that kind of disrespect as a woman, and you don't have to sit around and take it.

Answer 4

There probably really was no need to share the offensive email! :)

Tell your coworker that you would appreciate not receiving this type of message again, as it offended you. It's really okay to let him know that the two of you don't share a sense of humor. You may want to send this message on email, so that your communication is documented for future reference.

If it happens again, bring it to your supervisor's attention. They should take action immediately, in order to prevent the company from a sexual harassment suit...I'm not suggesting that you sue, but this is, in fact, sexual harassment, and your employer should be highly motivated to make it stop.

Answer 5

Email him back and tell him if he sends you anything that even looks like that kind of humor again, you are going to go straight to his desk, pick up his computer and bounce it off his empty head.
If he does it again I would walk up to him and punch him in the face so hard he would have a black eye the next day.

IF you don't do something like that, he will bug the hell out of you. You could ignore him or you could report him to the boss, but that is not enough. He needs a WHACK. Now go do it.....YOU ARE WOMAN. HEAR YOU ROAR!!

Answer 6

If you're offended you can do one of two things. Ask this co-worker to refrain from sending you such material or two, take a print out to your boss. I myself take these things lightly since they're not meant to offend anyone and really, they have the same kinds of jokes about men too. I think you shouldn't let it bother you so much, but if it really does, than go with the above.

Answer 7

In a private setting where everyone knows each other on a personal level, this may be very funny and amusing, but, in a business setting this is putting your work at risk for liability and this type of thing does not belong in the workplace. I agree with Lisa - it should go to a superior and let them handle it. Chances are they have had training in this type of thing. I would not interact with the sender.

Answer 8

Send a politely voiced email to the co-worker stating your objections in a clear and reasonable manner, try to make him see the error of his ways. If his behavior continues, save the email he sent you and the email you sent in response and file an official compliant with your company's HR department. Most states have mandatory laws about sexual harrassment in the work place and this does qualify as sexual harrassment, make him understand the severity of his offense.

Answer 9

Talk to the co-worker and tell them it was offensive and next time you will turn them in. If it offended you it was harrassment and based on the jokes it was Sexual Harrassment. Now this crap from that dude about oh yeah cost him his job He would have COST HIMSELF the job. You didn't tell him to send you the sexist jokes. By guess is that jerk did something stupid like send jokes like these ones and lost his job over it and now is pissed that someone would do something like report people for committing a crime.

Answer 10

The big mistake your coworker made was emailing this on company time. I'm sure the company didn't intend for this type of email to be sent when you were issued email addresses.

Talk to your coworker and request not to send you any more of these types of emails. If that person does not comply, print them out and take it up with your supervisor.