Summary: #$ -at- %#^&$# secretary stuff...

[DURL <durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET>]

        Thanks to you all. I think this is on topic, given that a
significant percentage of us are female and encounter this struggle about
our status as profesionals, apparently due to our gender. It's relevant
to all of us because
the trend is that, as a profession includes greater numbers of women, the
salary declines.
        More than half the men said they'd been asked to take minutes.
Of those, about half agreed and half declined. As you all saw, most of the
men felt, "If you wanna pay me $60 hr to take minutes, I'll do it."
        IMO, most men don't see the problem, probably because they don't
experience it. The problem I fear is that, once a woman takes on a
clerical
task, it
becomes harder to explain why she won't take on the next one. I suspect
 that a male note-taker wouldn't be asked to type a letter,
simply because the gender stereotypes reduce the odds of that occurrence.
        My answer to the interviewer was, "I'm willing to do it, but I
have a concern that, by doing it, I'll be seen as clerical support and
therefore have a harder time being treated as a professional when I
interview the programmers and technical staff."
        He--literally!--waved away this objection and said, "In a perfect
world, we'd have a secretary to do it. As it is, we all have to wear
different hats."
        I reiterated my concern; he said, "OK, how about if we just do it
among ourselves, not in front of the client?"
        I said, "If you're willing to take the risk, I'm willing to do it.
Heck, I'll even let you open doors for me."

        After reading your responses, next time this comes up, I'll take
the advice of the listers who pointed out that taking notes for my
purposes precludes taking minute notes. I'll also ask if the chore is
rotated, or suggest rotation.

        Thanks again!
        Yours for $100/hr rates,
        Mary

 Mary Durlak  Erie Documentation Inc.
East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo)
durl -at- buffnet -dot- net


> Mary wrote -
>
>         Went to talk to a potential client today. Talked to the Project
> Coordinator, the lead engineer....got past them, apparently, because they
> brought in the Project Manager.
>         He asked a few relevant questions (no cannonballs, no grenades)
> and then said, "Are you willing to take meeting minutes and make copies?"
>         Does this *happen* to you gentlemen?
>