My sister, my eldest nephew and I are diehard Sydney Swans fans. The chance to visit New Zealand and watch our boys play the first AFL International in Wellington in April was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Pooling our frequent flyer points, I booked tickets for myself and my brother in law, while my sister looked after herself and her children. I duly went through the process on the aireline’s website, specifying that I was booking flights using my points for myself and my brother in law.
I paid the taxes using my credit card, confirmed that I was the main contact and that tickets should be sent to my email address. Right at the end of the process guilt about my carbon footprint kicked in and I agreed to pay the carbon offset.
The next morning I was astounded to find in my inbox two emails from the airline: one was the e-tickets email, where all was in order. The other was a carbon offset tax invoice, addressed to Mr X, the name of my brother in law.
I was incensed.
I rang the frequent flyer program, who of course told me it was nothing to do with them and gave me another airline email address to send on my complaint. I immediately forwarded the offending tax invoice, with the following message and my frequent flyer account details, to the email address I had been given:
Dear Airline
I booked this flight under MY name, using MY Frequent Flyer Points and MY credit card and you have sent me a tax invoice to MY email address in the name of the man I am travelling with.
Can you please reissue the tax invoice in my name and fix what I can only assume are your sexist systems.
Thank you
Allison Henry
In the normal course of events, one would assume a company concerned with customer service would quickly and apologetically address this anomaly; but this is a major international airline.
Three weeks later I have received a limp acknowledgement of my initial email but still no tax invoice in my own name.
I am not under any illusion that this is a big issue; ‘first world problem’ springs to mind. I’m very conscious that many women face systemic and endemic barriers to their equal participation across our society, that they are paid far less than men for doing the same work, and that some face exploitation and abuse on a daily basis.
When I visited Burma in December I met inspiring women who were former political prisoners, tortured for the sort of political activism I have engaged in without a second thought.
And yet I am cranky enough to write this article. For me – an educated, independent and financially self-sufficient woman, in Sydney Australia in 2016 – this slight is outrageous and unacceptable.
What‘s the one thing that annoys you but doesn’t seem to bother anyone else?
Allison Henry is a freelance consultant who helps NGOs navigate government and otherwise spends her time encouraging her vegie garden, training for ocean swims and supporting the Sydney Swans. In former lives she was a Ministerial advisor in the Rudd and Gillard Governments and National Director of the Australian Republican Movement.
Top Comments
First, I haven't been this upset and outraged since Paris Hilton got a weeks jail for traffic offences. Paris Hilton - prisoner of peace. The social fallout continues every day.
Second, am I the only one who sees a woman who works in helping others to get their hands on other people's money complaining about this? I demand an overpriced school hall be put in my name then.
Third, no it's not a sexist computer system, it's an add on to the passenger ticket. It's no more sexist than the meal he got on the plane being listed against his name, not yours.
Advisor to Rudd and Gillard? That helps give us an insight into their twisted priorities.
It is these seemingly little everyday instances of sexism that we must vigilantly bring to companies' attention so people can be educated, and I applaud you for raising this issue. Here's another: my title is "Dr", and when my husband and I make bookings that require an honorific (why such a thing is necessary, goodness knows), he is frequently addressed as "Dr" when we arrive. The person at the counter often looks surprised to see a man and woman walk in—they assume a "Dr" would be male and so "Dr and Mr" must be a same-sex couple. They then usually go ahead and address my husband as "Dr" anyway. Staff at a hotel we went to recently became so confused, they ended up addressing both of us as "Dr".
Another instance: my previous partner and I were tenants in common of a house we bought, and had a joint mortgage. The bank needed to discuss some important changes with us, and they corresponded only with him on this matter, even though we both got separately mailed statements each month. I wrote them a letter complaining about this treatment and asking them to contact me as well, which they completely ignored.
I had a similar experience with my mortgage company - after we moved house, I called them to have our contact details updated. They advised they would change my details, but would need to hear from my partner in order for his to be changed. I queried if he had called, would he have been able to change my details and they said yes - because he was 'listed first' on the mortgage paperwork, despite it being a joint mortgage!