I am employed as an event bartender. I am the currently the only female bartender. These events are pretty seasonal. During the fall/winter there are only a couple of these a month, while in the spring/summer there are several per weekend. We are scheduled on a first come first serve basis.

The other day I received an email stating that I was going to be pulled off a few upcoming events because the manager wanted a male bartender as she was expecting a rowdy crowd. Let me make it clear that in no way does my job description include the duty of "bouncer". This has happened in the past but this is the first time I have it in writing that hours are being taken away from me due to my being a woman and the employer prefering a man.

Is this legal?

Wow. Tough call.

Does your boss pull you off and possibly get sued for sexual discrimination or let you work and have you sue for being hurt when the situation gets out of control and you can't handle it?

Anyone want to take this one?

In my 2 years there, there have never been any major altercations or physical violence. Plus, its not like you can predict which events are going to be rowdy.
Also, shouldnt the responsibility fall with the event manager. There are many other staff members who work these events. Why is it that the bartender is singled out? As far as I know, the bartenders responsibility is to cut people off as he/she sees fit.

Whoa there....

I am not saying you are wrong. In fact, you are probably right. However, I was asking for help because, as an employer, I have to admit I would feel uncomfortable sending in less capable employees (male or female) to handle a possibly bad situation.

I bartended my way through college. All bartenders are bouncers. Comes with the territory.

There is another bartender that is a male that is not much larger than I am (an asian man). I doubt he would be much more effective than I would be at breaking up an altercation.

In addition, the rest of the staff is composed of women. Why is it that the bartender is the only one that needs to be a male? In that case, shouldnt the employer hire security for events they believe will be rowdy?

Is this a case I should pursue or is it likely a waste of time?




Whoa there....

I am not saying you are wrong. In fact, you are probably right. However, I was asking for help because, as an employer, I have to admit I would feel uncomfortable sending in less capable employees (male or female) to handle a possibly bad situation.

I bartended my way through college. All bartenders are bouncers. Comes with the territory.

Are you actually missing out on pay or opportunities because of this or are you just being assigned to different events? If the events are just being assigned with gender in mind on a few where it may be an issue, then I don't see that it is so much discrimination as you aren't losing anything as a result. It might be wiser to not have you be the sole woman at an all male biker convention and it may not be the best idea to have a guy as the bartender at a seminar on women's health issues.

I was assigned to 5 events and 3 were taken away. As I said, they are scheduled on a first come first serve basis unless there is a request for a male.

I would understand if these were really rowdy events, but 99% of them are weddings and there has only been 1 incident where the intoxication led to inappropriate behavior but the issue was pretty minor. I think it is difficult to predict what kind of guests the couple will have based on just knowing the bride and groom.