Sexist ‘Men at Work’ Signs to Come Down in Atlanta

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Every time Atlanta’s Cynthia Good, 48, drove by "Men at Work" signs by the side of the road, it irked her.

After all, almost half of the city’s Public Works employees are female.

It all started when police officers showed up at Good’s office, responding to a complaint that she had spray-painted "Wo" onto a "Men at Work" sign.

While she didn’t admit to the painting, she did complain to the mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin, and Geogia governor sunny Perdue. She also asked the public works commissioner to change the signs. To her surprise, he agreed with her.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," said Commissioner Joe Basista, to reporters. "We hadn't really thought about it before…we're hoping to encourage others to follow."

The signs will be painted over to read "Workers" or "Workers Ahead."

Though the cost to paint over existing signs will total about $1,000, Basista told reporters that it’s worth it to bring Atlanta up to date. National guidelines for road work signs already recommend that the wording be gender neutral.

Critics of Good say that she’s being "overly ‘PC’," and that she clearly has too much time on her hands, etc.

"What’s next, I should change my ‘wo-mentality’ and all words with m-e-n it them should be changed? It’s ridiculous, and there are far bigger problems she could focus her time on," said one frustrated Atlanta resident in response to the change.

But linguistics and gender studies experts say that language is an important, albeit subtle, way for society to frame itself. While some of the population will genuinely see the word "man" or "men" as gender-inclusive, some do not.

"I don’t use the men’s room, or assume it’s meant for all people," responds one young woman who agrees with Good’s actions.

Gina Pagnotta, Atlanta’s city union leader, says it’s long overdue. Pagnotta told reporters that female Public Works employees complained about the signs years ago, but nothing was done…until Good got involved.

And she’s not stopping with Atlanta. Good, founding editor of the professional woman’s magazine PINK, told The Atlantic Journal-Constitution, "We're calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit," Good told the press, "…and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination."

Pagnotta, for one, is glad. "It is a little bit bias[ed] to say 'Men Working,'" she said. "Women are working too."