The Trouble With Women

ShareThis

HR Manager: "What's wrong with her?"

Foreman: "Well, she's a woman isn't she?"

This campy 1959 training film provides an interesting look at how women were perceived in the workplace 40 years ago.


(Link)

Even though this was supposed to be an enlightened instructional video, it is still riddled with bias. Note that the video opens with a gum-chewing, finger-twiddling woman who didn't quite understand how to work a complicated machine.

Throughout the video, the HR manager does not refute all the stereotypes presented by the foreman. Basically, the HR manager sees these problems as "part of life" that has to be dealt with. To him, women were annoyances that can be tolerated as long as production levels are up.

The most telling bias comes at the end, when the HR manager declared that "you need someone and there isn't a man available."

Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.

Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


Andrea Karim's picture

Although I'm not sure how I missed it. This is such an odd little film. I don't even understand what the moral of the story is - that Brad has issues? That women really ARE dumb and chew too much gum while working?