The other day I had to go and talk to some officials at a golf club. On behalf of an organisation I'm involved with.
I expected it to be a bloke I'd be speaking to (golf clubs tending to be more male-run I was guessing), so rather than go alone, I took a male friend along, so he could just be there in the background, while I said my piece. I thought I'd get a better reception with a male presence there also.
As it was, it was a woman I spoke to. The receptionist. She was fine. But I'd geared myself up for 'confrontation' (possibly) with a male official, and didn't expect 'lone woman wanders into a golf club' to really have much impact. I expected an attempt would be made to silence me. The receptionist doesn't ultimately have any say on the issue I went there to discuss, so we shall see what the (male) Chairperson, and the (probably mostly male) committee say in response to the email I've sent them following my visit.
In fact, thinking about it, there already had been an attempt at silencing me. When I mentioned I was going to go and speak to the golf club about this issue, a male acquaintance who's a member there, had already tried to dissuade me, telling me it wouldn't go down well, and I'd get fobbed off. I ignored his advice.
It's really crap this isn't it. That in many instances, you automatically get a better hearing and more attention paid to you if you're male. Not by virtue of anything else. And are more likely to be dismissed/not taken seriously if you're female.