Are “open-concept” office plans inherently misogynistic ?

[Anonymous]

In a different forum on dcum, someone explained why she believes this. Agree or disagree?


“I’m a senior exec, and I used to tell my boss that open concept plans for offices were inherently misogynistic and failed to take into account how women work. “Where should women put their tampons?” was one of the things I pointed out to him. Along with “moms generally take 80% or more of the callls from doctors, school, etc — how do you not accidentally penalize them for this as these calls are more visible since they don’t have a door to close?”

Of course, we can keep a stash in a laptop bag, but in general, women’s needs are not accommodated in office planning. IBM had a whole “free the tampon” movement.”

How do you feel about this ?

[Anonymous]

Try not to be sexist when you can just say that they demean everyone. They herd people into a collective like cattle waiting to be slaughtered.

[Anonymous]

My view is that women like this make it harder for women in general. When people go to extremes like this "where will we put our tampons?!?" It makes people roll their eyes and discredit any valid points someone may have.

[Anonymous]

This mentality is why we have the awful government that we have. People got tired of this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t use misogynistic but they are inherently super inconvenient for all of the reasons stated. Also if you’re going through any sort of personal or kid-related health issue making appointments or accepting calls from doctors (that come at unexpected moments) is hard. I was in an open office where there was nowhere to go quickly for privacy. As a result we all knew personal things about each other we probably wouldn’t have wanted to share.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My view is that women like this make it harder for women in general. When people go to extremes like this "where will we put our tampons?!?" It makes people roll their eyes and discredit any valid points someone may have.

And FWIW, my job is always "open concept". It's just the nature of the job. We throw a tampon in our pocket and then replace it as needed. No one is looking that closely. If we get a personal call, we step away and talk to them/call them back in private. No one is getting so many calls from schools or doctors that it's noticed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My view is that women like this make it harder for women in general. When people go to extremes like this "where will we put our tampons?!?" It makes people roll their eyes and discredit any valid points someone may have.

Agree.

BTW, a good office supplies tampons and pads and keeps them in the office bathrooms. No need to pay, hide, or feel any shame on a routine body function.

[Anonymous]

Just adding, these phone calls do not take up much time on their own, but if you then have all your colleagues around you saying “what’s going on? Are you ok? Is Joey sick?” it both is awkward and ends up creating a bigger distraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try not to be sexist when you can just say that they demean everyone. They herd people into a collective like cattle waiting to be slaughtered.

Agree. They suck for everyone and they work best for people who you don’t want to sit next to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t use misogynistic but they are inherently super inconvenient for all of the reasons stated. Also if you’re going through any sort of personal or kid-related health issue making appointments or accepting calls from doctors (that come at unexpected moments) is hard. I was in an open office where there was nowhere to go quickly for privacy. As a result we all knew personal things about each other we probably wouldn’t have wanted to share.

Agreed. And this applies to men and women. DH is the primary point of contact for DS because my job doesn't allow me to have easy access to personal calls.

[Anonymous]

I hate open concept, but it's nothing to do with tampons or calls from the school.

[Anonymous]

My office provides sound-proof phone booths on each floor for personal calls.

If my teen DD can carry a day’s supply of tampons in her backpack, then women are certainly not so fragile that they can’t figure this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate open concept, but it's nothing to do with tampons or calls from the school.

Agree. Everyone hates it.

[Anonymous]

I find the tampon argument misogynist. I teach high school, so I keep some of my feminine hygiene products on an open shelf where kids can access them if need be.

But beyond that, the argument that women obviously want to hide their tampons, and that they are too stupid to come up with solutions like "put them in your bag" or "put them in your drawer" is what's misogynistic here. I clearly feel no need to hide my tampons, and yet almost everywhere I go they are hidden. Because the convenient places to put tampons, are usually not transparent.

[Anonymous]

This goes beyond period products to any private actions a person wishes to keep private: medications come to mind. The open floor concept is just bad for privacy all around. If a workplace wants to organize themselves like this, for ease of team work and camaraderie, for example, then they need to provide additional spaces where people can go to relax, be by themselves, etc. Not just bathrooms spaces!