I am female and multitasking is not naturual to me

[Nikia]

I can learn to multitask but only when I have learned and coordinated everything. For example, in one job there was a task that I had to do every 3-6 minutes and I had other tasks to do in between when I was not doing the other task. I had to practice and get the internal timing for 3-6 minutes. Until that happened, I had a hard time either doing the other tasks or not missing the task that I had to do regularly. In my current job, it appears that I am multitasking, but I have timers that go off to alert me to change my attention. I prefer focusing all my attention on one thing at a time and will if I don't make it a point not to. I cannot watch television and talk, especially on a different topic. If I am talking and doing anything else at the same time, the other task better be something that requires no thought whatsoever.
I mention this because this is a female stereotype that hurts me and makes me look like an idiot when I first start on a job, am being talked to on the job, when doing things for other people, or in social situations. They expect that since I am female that multitasking is easy for me and expect me to be able to do it quickly. They don't expect men to be able to do this as quickly or to work and talk at the same time.
Am I wrong about this? Or do I probably actually have ADD or something?
Regardless... Are there stereotypical skills or ways of thinking that people expect you to be better at than the other sex but you are not and treated poorly because that in certain situations?

[BurtWorm]

1. I don't think it's a gender thing.

I think it's an individual thing. I knew one woman who could edit or fill out forms while talking on the phone. She said it was like she had two compartments in her brain and she could occupy both simultaneously. Maybe it's because one was visual and the other aural? I don't know, but it always amazed me that ANYbody could do that.

But Bill Clinton is the most famous and talented multitasker I know. Sidney Blumenthal talks about how he could talk on the phone, do a crossword puzzle, delegate to his staff, etc., etc., etc. It was as though he had TOO much attention and had to spread it out.

[murielm99]

3. Who says men are the only ones who multitask?

Mothers of small children are famous for multitasking.

[Nikia]

5. My employers seem to think all women are good at multitasking

Hence the reson for my post. I have heard many people say this stereotype too.
Maybe it is because mothers of young children have to do it and become better at multi taskinging in general after this experience. I, aand many other women, haven't had this experience though. At lesaat for me, it is not an inborn trait. It does seem to be an inborn trait for my husband though.

[Radical Activist]

6. I'm a man and if I'm not multi-tasking

I get bored.

[sui generis]

2. I'm male and I can multitask like nobody's bidness

I have two systems in front of me with 12 windows open in each. I am writing code, doing financial analysis, running queries, reading the news, playing a game, answering email, tippy typing in DU, and on the phone with my boss right now.

[Igel]

4. You're right: people only multitask when the various tasks

have become routine and people know how long substeps in each task take.

And even then, they screw up more than people that are multitasking.

Multitasking: even with microprocessors you get memory allocation errors. Get those out of the way, and microprocessors multitask--i.e., they switch between doing tasks very quickly.

Humans have more "memory allocation" errors.