are you the secretary?

[Peggy Barr]

In article <26FEB96.22423438.0062 at UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>, "DAWN C. GORDON" 
In response to my post about being called Dr.,
<I7BF at UNB.CA> wrote:

>      I wonder if there are any secretaries reading any of these posts,
> and if they would be offended at all of us making people very certain
> that we are NOT secretaries.  I wonder if any male secretaries have
> been mistaken for professors, and what their reaction is?
>      Someone made a stupid remark to me about secretaries/women the
> other day.  I just said women are so very organized and that's why      
> they're good at the job.
>      Just as we must do away with stereotypes, we should be careful
> about offending women who do hold "traditional" jobs or stay at home   
> doing unpaid but very important
work.                                          Just my
thoughts...                                              
>       DAWN GORDON                                                      



Ah, now this is not what I meant at all.  Most of the secretaries here
(and grad students and techs) call me by my first name, and I prefer it. 
However, I am not happy to be addressed as Ms. or Mrs. when someone in the
room has just spoken to a male colleague as Dr.   This happens pretty
frequently.  It also happened way too often when I was in veterinary
practice and my boss was called Dr. but I was not.

I guess a lot of this thread is about avoiding assumptions about people in
general - something we can all think about!