Friday Five
Oh my lord, this has been quite a week. And I'm not very on top of things, but I made it to the end. I'm travelling all of next week, too, and I have a bad feeling about how much luggage I'm going to need for four nights in October. Probably not just living out of my backpack like usual. I need to start getting to grips with that tomorrow. But tonight, I've been to yoga, I've made leftover prawn-and-sweetcorn patties (Ottolenghi, very easy, very nice), and the Friday Five is up in time for a little thinking. I'm afraid I have Views on this one.
1. Do you think you are treated differently because you are a man or woman?
In society, sure - my pension age is different, so are my clothes, my razors and haircuts cost more, my clothes are more fun, nobody looks twice if I wear lipstick (I mean, people who know me do, because I rarely wear it, but the world couldn't care less), and people who find out I travel alone a lot find that strange and brave. At work, now, not really. I work in a heavily female workforce, at an employer who is almost bang on 50-50 for gender pay parity, senior management representation etc. I'm pretty lucky in that respect.
2. Do men or women have it easier in our culture? Why do you think so?
Men are still the default. Things are still designed for them. I'm a short, titty woman for whom nothing ever fits first time, and that's a thing. I am (as above) grateful being in a reasonably equitable workplace, so I've spent time thinking about that which my male colleagues haven't and that's another. But I read today this very lovely story about two of our top women cricketers getting engaged, celebrated on Coming Out Day in a way no male sportsman has been able to do, and yesterday for World Mental Health Day I was reminded yet again how much easier it is to express weakness and emotion as a woman. So, society shapes itself to men, but it also forces them into moulds. And that hurts too.
3. Do you think girls are raised differently from boys? If so, in what ways?
In so many ways, around emotion, strength, independence, freedom to rebel... So many ways. Even our sports are different.
4. Do you think women should take men's last names when they marry? Why or why not?
I am a controversially, stridently loud no here. But that's because I don't really believe in marriage as an institution, so the whole possessive-ring, giving-up-your-identity, honour-and-obey thing is... well. Unprintable thoughts. But loads of you are married and making it work; and I can cope with hyphenation of surnames, or shedding your awful/dull name (I've a good friend who traded up from Evans to Carmichael and swanks beautifully with it), or a dozen other things. Do not however come at me with 'but what if you have kids'. Other languages and traditions manage it differently. Our way is not the norm, and certainly not the only.
5. Do you think a woman will be President of the United States in the near future?
Fuck, I hope so. It's very hard to tell from the outside what the barriers may be, though. And speaking as someone who has survived two right-wing female political leaders without any perceptible improvement in the rights of women, it makes less difference than you'd think.
(Read the cricketers story btw. It's not all sweetness, but I was there at the World Cup when they won, and tbh I'd have asked Nat Sciver out if I could have got near enough, so I feel this one.)
This entry was originally posted at https://bruttimabuoni.dreamwidth.org/949741.html. You can comment here or there as you please!
1. Do you think you are treated differently because you are a man or woman?
In society, sure - my pension age is different, so are my clothes, my razors and haircuts cost more, my clothes are more fun, nobody looks twice if I wear lipstick (I mean, people who know me do, because I rarely wear it, but the world couldn't care less), and people who find out I travel alone a lot find that strange and brave. At work, now, not really. I work in a heavily female workforce, at an employer who is almost bang on 50-50 for gender pay parity, senior management representation etc. I'm pretty lucky in that respect.
2. Do men or women have it easier in our culture? Why do you think so?
Men are still the default. Things are still designed for them. I'm a short, titty woman for whom nothing ever fits first time, and that's a thing. I am (as above) grateful being in a reasonably equitable workplace, so I've spent time thinking about that which my male colleagues haven't and that's another. But I read today this very lovely story about two of our top women cricketers getting engaged, celebrated on Coming Out Day in a way no male sportsman has been able to do, and yesterday for World Mental Health Day I was reminded yet again how much easier it is to express weakness and emotion as a woman. So, society shapes itself to men, but it also forces them into moulds. And that hurts too.
3. Do you think girls are raised differently from boys? If so, in what ways?
In so many ways, around emotion, strength, independence, freedom to rebel... So many ways. Even our sports are different.
4. Do you think women should take men's last names when they marry? Why or why not?
I am a controversially, stridently loud no here. But that's because I don't really believe in marriage as an institution, so the whole possessive-ring, giving-up-your-identity, honour-and-obey thing is... well. Unprintable thoughts. But loads of you are married and making it work; and I can cope with hyphenation of surnames, or shedding your awful/dull name (I've a good friend who traded up from Evans to Carmichael and swanks beautifully with it), or a dozen other things. Do not however come at me with 'but what if you have kids'. Other languages and traditions manage it differently. Our way is not the norm, and certainly not the only.
5. Do you think a woman will be President of the United States in the near future?
Fuck, I hope so. It's very hard to tell from the outside what the barriers may be, though. And speaking as someone who has survived two right-wing female political leaders without any perceptible improvement in the rights of women, it makes less difference than you'd think.
(Read the cricketers story btw. It's not all sweetness, but I was there at the World Cup when they won, and tbh I'd have asked Nat Sciver out if I could have got near enough, so I feel this one.)
This entry was originally posted at https://bruttimabuoni.dreamwidth.org/949741.html. You can comment here or there as you please!