If the chair fits: Sexism in American Office Furniture Design  

READING SUMMARY: 

This article dives into the idea of gendered body and how office furniture design reaffirmed it along with sexism and gendered assumptions of labor. This can clearly be seen when examining the forms and dimensions of office furniture during the second half of the 1900’s. In this time period, hierarchy of job positions were shown through materials and amenities in the office. 

An example of the gendered assumptions made about office material is when secretary desks became standardized at 26 inches. This measurement came from the generalized assumption that all secretaries were women and are smaller than men. This dimension went on to be used across multiple professions even though it excluded the women that did not fit into its generalization. Another example is how secretarial chairs were made smaller while executive chairs were designed for large male bodies. This example also supported the sexist idea of masculine leadership as being preferred. Going even deeper into the detail of office chairs, the ones made for executives were far more comfortable and allowed for a man to lounge in it, while ones for secretaries required perfectly upright posture and were in no way comfortable. All of these things confirmed the idea of the gendered body and its application in offices. 

BUILDING INTERPRETATION: 

Fat Shack is a fast-food style restaurant on the outskirts of campus. When you enter you see the counter to order which is connected to the kitchen in the back. The only seating on the entrance level is a singular table with four chairs. More often than not this table and entrance level is used as a waiting area for those picking up food. Customers rarely ever choose to eat on this level. In the corner is a large staircase leading to an upper level full of seating. All of the tables and chairs are identical with no options for a customer to choose from. This style of seating is not gendered but it is not exclusive of all people and body types. 

The first problem is anyone who is unable to use the stairs has no other choice than to eat at the singular table on the ground floor. This excludes them from the customer atmosphere away from the kitchen on the second floor. The second problem is that the chairs are small and narrow with vertical backs, making them not the type of seating where someone would want to lounge in or stay for long periods of time, especially if they are of the larger stature. This is a quality that would defer the unhoused from coming to find comfort inside of Fat Shack. Part of this may be because Fat Shack is in the business of fast food and does not expect their customers to stay for prolonged periods of time. 

The two levels of Fat Shack and how they are organized by activity.