Case for Workplace Diversity

The other day, I visited a nearby fast-food joint to get some dinner. While I was just entering the store, a woman was rushing out of the store, and one of the men working in the store chasing her, yelling at her for visiting the store.

I felt a little absurd, I didn't understand what happened as soon as I entered but soon, I understood that the lady walked into the store to use the washroom and rushed out. I still didn't understand why the store-man was so upset about the woman using the washroom, perhaps because I personally have been in situations when I had to walk into a store, visit the washroom and leave.

I ordered my food and was waiting to collect it, grilled chicken usually takes 10–15 mins. In 2 mins time, a male relative of the woman comes to the store along with the woman to confront the store-keeper. Rightly, there was no need to yell at the woman for simply using the washroom and no man would tolerate his friend/spouse/sister to be treated that way.

There was an argument about why the man at the store was so rude to the woman and what was the problem with using the washroom. Little drama happened and there was a resolution. The man and the woman left the store.

I had another 5 mins waiting for my order, still trying to understand why did this happen? Why didn't the other staff object to the rude behavior of the store-person? Trying to think about the problem of inaccessibility to public toilets even in good neighborhoods. What difference would it make if someone in an emergency used their washroom? I tried looking at all the staff in the small store, except the store in-charge at the counter everyone wore a red apron and I counted 5 men in total.

And that was the problem, not a single woman in the store. No women workers at that store made the store a little less tolerant, a little less understanding, a little less unwelcoming and my understanding of workplace diversity was even further solidified with this incident.

Would be great to reflect on whether our workplaces exhibit such behaviors, do they go unchecked, how can we make a better workplace?

PS: After spending a lot of time desiring to write, I have decided to write on my thoughts and reflections, some that I have while I spend time in prayer, some I have while I do mundane tasks like ironing clothes, taking bath, watering plants or standing in a line.
Some of my writings will be purely my thoughts and imagination as I go along life collecting dots and connecting them. Feel free to share your views and correct me.