There was a practice in financial sales in the late 90's: "don't pitch the bitch". Basically, this encouraged male cold-callers not to attempt to do any dealings with females, as they were apparently too cautious/conservative to get lured in by aggressive ploys. This sexist practice is still used by male Amex reps at Frankfurt airport: I watched them interact with 12 people while I waited for my husband. The 9 women they completely ignored, but the 3 males they swarmed on to the point of harassment - "please sign up! We have so many special offers for you!" The last of these males was my husband, who was accosted on his way joining me. When I pointed this behavior out to the reps, they responded in bemusement. The response to my question "why are you only talking to men?" was met with the patronizingly idiotic "you can talk to me!" Why does a woman have to ask the reps for something they are eagerly offering men?
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