Electrician slacking because he is in the presence of a wom…

Electrician slacking because he is in the presence of a woman

I know this might sound like another woman-versus-man rant, but I can’t lie I’m genuinely angry about what happened. It’s one of those days where you realize how exhausting it is to be treated differently just because you’re a woman.

So, an electrician was supposed to come by to fix a few things. He and my partner had already agreed on the details. I happened to have the day off, which worked out since we couldn’t exactly leave the key somewhere. But then, as usual, the nonsense started. He showed up four hours late. Four. And when I asked about it, he casually said he overslept.

Overslept like that’s a valid excuse for showing up half a day late to a job. I tried to be polite, to keep my tone calm, but inside I was boiling.

When he finally started working, he was half-teaching his daughter while doing the job. I get it maybe he’s trying to balance work and family but I can’t shake off how little he seemed to respect my time. Then he got a phone call from someone moving houses and, without even asking, decided to leave and promised to come back the next day.

Guess what? The next day he pulled the same trick. Four hours late again. I had wasted another day off waiting for him when I could have been doing laundry or anything else that actually mattered. When he finally arrived, I just let him in and didn’t bother saying much. He did a couple of hours of work, we had some small talk the usual “where are you from?” stuff people here in Scotland seem to love but I wasn’t in the mood.

Later, I was on a call with my mum and told him to just call me if he needed anything. I didn’t complain once about his excuses or his delays. I was patient, overly patient. Then out of nowhere, I got a text from him saying he didn’t want to interrupt my call and had to leave. Just like that. He walked out without finishing the job. Again.

And of course, he left his rubbish behind wires, packaging, scraps, everything. At that point, I wasn’t even surprised. I’ve lived here long enough to know exactly how this goes. Some men think they can show up late, half-do their jobs, and smooth-talk their way out of accountability. It’s infuriating.

What gets me the most is that if my partner had been home, this would never have happened. The electrician would have been on time, polite, professional. But because it was just me, a woman alone, he thought he could take the piss. I told my partner this is exactly what happens when I try to be too nice when I try to soften my tone or act “sweet” so I don’t come off as rude.

I’m tired of faking niceness just to make men comfortable. I’m tired of being dismissed, patronized, or underestimated. I’ve spent eight years dealing with this kind of casual disrespect, and it’s exhausting.

I think I’m done trying to tone myself down. I’m done pretending to be the polite version of myself that people here expect. I miss my real voice the one that’s sharp, direct, and refuses to tolerate bullshit. If that makes me “unpleasant,” so be it. I’d rather be honest than keep swallowing anger just to protect fragile egos.

Sometimes I feel like men forget that respect has nothing to do with gender it’s about basic decency. And honestly, after this week, I’m reminded why so many women are angry all the time.

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