Here’s an American term we hear often, “Chairman of the Board.” How did this odd term come to land in our language?
Go back to the 1700s, when life and household furnishings were simple. There you’ll usually find people eating their meal on a long, wide, low board that they folded down from the wall. People sat around it on the floor while the Dad, who was head of household, acted as the “chair man,” sitting at the end in the only chair. Of course, if an important person came to dinner, he (yes, usually a “he”) was given the honor of being the “chair man.” That’s how today the High Pooba of a company is called the “chairman” or “Chairman of the Board.” (If you doubt it, visualize the shape of the common board-room conference table and where the Chairman suits.)
Another reason why sexism in the corporate world is slow to die?