Button Duty

Way back in the late 1990s, I worked in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles, California for a business that provided in-flight entertainment to Pakistan International Airlines.  The business was small, and I was responsible for, well, running everything.  My boss, Mr. H, was from Pakistan but had many years of residency in the United States.  He had worked for several movie studios and was very comfortable with Western business culture.

A high-level representative for Pakistan International Airlines (who I shall call Mr. D) came to visit our office.  My boss introduced me to Mr. D, and I offered my hand for a handshake.  Mr. D hesitated very briefly and then shook my hand.  As he did so, he noticed that a button was loose on the cuff of his shirt.  Mr. D asked me to sew it on his shirt for him.

My boss very quickly intervened and seemed worried that I would take offense.  I did not, though I do admit to feeling very bemused by the whole situation.  The fact was that despite being female, I was wholly unfamiliar with the art of sewing and would likely have ruined Mr. D’s shirt had I tried to mend it.  Still, it was obvious that Mr. D regarded me as a woman who would be expected to handle traditional “feminine” tasks.

The entire incident was fascinating.  Mr. D simply saw me in such a different light than I would have expected from a businessman from the United States.  I recognized that this was due, mostly, from his unfamiliarity with the role of women in Western culture business.  I think, too, the fact that Mr. D was older also contributed to his very “traditional” view that women handled domestic tasks while men took care of business.  I did not think (and still do not think) that women are valued as much as men in American business today, but this incident showed me that the disparity can be even greater in other cultures.   

Experience in the Community