Female MPs

[Wavid]

Article on the BBC news site about the discrimination against female MPs in the Commons.

Apologies to all Palimpsisters, but I couldn't but find this funny, in a schoolboyish way:

Originally Posted by Barbara Follet

I remember some Conservatives - whenever a Labour woman got up to speak they would take their breasts - imaginary breasts - in their hands and wiggle them and say 'melons' as we spoke.

[amner]

I can just imagine Thatcher doing that.

[Joss]

Wow. I find that article horrifying and sadly unsurprising at the same time.

There was an article in The Grauniad (well, in G2) today about female MPs getting boosts of testosterone to make them more aggressive and thus succeed.

It's still very much a man's world.

[NottyImp]

It is that, but equally it's hard not to argue that some progress has been made.* It's just so damned slow.




* In the (West or parts of it) at least. And probably at the expense of the "developing world", to boot.

[Joss]

Oh, there's definitely been progress. I'd have to be very naive to say otherwise! But no, not enough. And there are still too many people (men) who think women *are* equal now and don't seem to realise that actually, no, we're still effectively second-class citizens in some respects.

[Norman Clature]

Yeah, all right, love. Now you've had your little say, why don't you get back to the ironing?

[Wavid]

Er, I was going to say welcome back to Norman, but I don't think I'll bother now.

Remember - this is informed debate, etc etc, not just trotting out the usual drivel. If you meant it as a joke, then it wasn't funny enough.

Joss, I find your link, the testosterone-therapy article, absolutely fascinating. I had no idea that women were taking T supplements to improve their competitiveness in business and so on! Good grief. And they don't mind talking about it?
Do they grow moustaches, I wonder?

[youjustmightlikeit]

It was a bit funny; and the 'melons' thing was definitely funny - although of course, terrible!

R.C. - yes, they do.

Joss - Second class citizens how?

[Joss]

Look at what women earn compared to what men earn. Look at the number of men in positions of power compared to women in positions of power. Look at how we're portrayed in the media.

Admittedly, regarding employment, some of it is unavoidable: if a woman wants to have children she's going to have to take some time off (and the new movement to give a year's paid maternity leave instead of 6 months paid and 6 unpaid is definite progress on that front) but there are women who don't want to have children who are still discriminated against because, "what if they change their mind?".

Media portrayal is far more insidious and (in my opinion) far more dangerous. I'll save you a screed of my issues with the media, but there are definite discrepancies between the representation of the "idealised woman" and actual women, and the social problems these have caused (most notably eating disorders) are almost exclusively a female issue, and they serve to restrict women.

"Second-class citizen" is perhaps a bit strong but I can't think of another way to word it and get across what I mean. I had this conversation the other week (down the pub, of course, where else do students have discussions? Certainly not in seminars...) with three men, who all believed wholeheartedly that they had absolutely no advantage in life over me. Sorry, not the case. I wish it was!