Today’s Monday Musings is about a little discussed fact. The promotional arm of the wine industry is dominated by a couple of firms- all of which are run by men. Today as happens on so many days another potential client and one that touts themselves as being pro-women in wine and a strong supporter of women in the industry wrote to notify me that she’s choosing between two male-owned firms. I am not sure if this will ever be a big topic to anyone but a small number of people but it’s time to at least call it what it is – being hypocritical. Sure other factors come into play but it doesn’t escape me that every single time I lose a client – it’s always to a male owned firm. Since there are so few of them – this part of the industry is 95% dominated by women-owned firms, something else is at work. Could it be that sexism still rules the roost? I would say so. I’m tired of being in the shadows and never discussing this topic for what it is. So I am calling it by it’s true name – sexism. It particularly grates on my nerves when it’s from people who purport to support women-run businesses.  I can only imagine how women felt 25-50-100 years ago. We have made strides but evidently not nearly enough.