Battle of the Sexes

I am a child of the millennium, according to the women at my office at least. I prefer to communicate through electronic means, such as emails, tweets, and (duh) blogs. I am attached to my Blackberry and my MacBook Pro is my child.

Part of growing up in this generation is believing that women and men are equal. However, I am also a Southern girl, which means I expect a man to hold the door open for me as he ushers me through the glass ceiling.

But I digress. The point is, I am naive and expected to be treated as an equal by contractors... after all, I am a strong, capable, single woman who has purchased her own home and is going to be paying someone to do some construction for me. However, I was mistaken. Despite being the one making the calls, scheduling appointments, sharing ideas, and writing checks, I have been treated like a silly little girl by several potential contractors. While I understand that I may not be the most knowledgeable individual when it comes to construction, I am not an idiot. I am coming to these men with well-drafted plans and an open pocketbook, and they are treating me like a simpleton.

Now, I need to be careful not to generalize. Two of the four contractors I have met with have been very respectful and will be more likely to get the job because of that fact. However, one I met with yesterday blew me away with his condescending, misogynistic attitude. All was going OK until we started discussing his bid for the job. He actually asked me if he should call my dad or my husband about the numbers. I wish I were kidding.

I informed him that this was my home and that everything regarding construction would go through me. Whatever. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Really, I am not trying to make a generalization about contractors, but let this serve as a warning to young female home-buyers: you have to be assertive. This is your home, you are in charge, and you call the shots. Be strong. Be proud. Be a homeowner.