The Great Divide
A few British statistics....
+ If a man marries and has children there is a one-in-three chance he will lose his home and a one in ten chance of losing contact with his children
+ Men die, on average, seven years younger than women
+ The vast majority of homeless people are men
+ Three times as many men as women commit suicide
Taken from Robert Taylor's column in the IHT today.....
These statistics are used to highlight an article which shows that men are feeling the rough end of 'women's lib'....both personally and professionally.
This is obviously a fairly recent phenomenon, for hundreds of years women have been seen as men's chattels (and in some society's they still are)...I am not saying that it is good for men to suffer nor am I backing an 'eye for an eye' campaign....however, I think in some cases it has been necessary for men to realise what women have been (and some still are) up against either in the working world or in their private lives.
Taylor's article, in summary, is saying that now that men are feeling 'hard done by' (not meant to be sarcastic....just very tired and cannot think of another phrase - sorry) they realise that the only way that men's voices can be heard again is with a very visible political agenda....i.e. Fathers4Justice who pull of news making stunts such as this....in the hope that the government and thus the courts will realise a father's importance to their children...even after a divorce
So far (to the best of my knowledge - and pls correct me if I am wrong) these 'men's rights' protests are family linked and there have not been any related to discrimination in the work place....that honour still lies on women's shoulders...although fortunately things have improved dramatically - even in the 18 years I have been associated with my industry.
However, things are still not ideal.....I work in a very male dominated industry there are only a few women in the same position and upwards that I am in (and I am not that senior)...in fact within my company which has nigh on about 50 branches...the number of women in the same position or the next step up as I am, can be counted on one hand.....this is not the company holding them back it is just that it is not an ideal industry for a woman to flourish....long hours, next to zero family life and it would be a huge challenge to raise children. Please note, I am not complaining, I love my job...I'm just stating facts.
After I finish reading Taylor's article I switch to today's local paper of choice....the Philippine Inquirer...and read MLQ3's strangely relevant article....
"Today marks 68 years since Manuel L. Quezon signed the law recognizing women's suffrage"....so 68 years ago (1937) today the paperwork was signed to enable the women of the Philippines to vote......admittedly after the UK (1918 with universal suffrage in 1928) but before Malaysia (1957) and Switzerland (1971).....
My point (I know it is all rather loose....but as I said I am tired) is that women's lib is still a recent memory, fighting for the vote is still a recent memory and discrimination in the work place is still ongoing, so, yes, what Robert Taylor is writing about is tough but personally (and I am sure I will be given a hard time over this next statement) I think a small amount of it has been necessary to make men realise that women have rights to......hopefully the two sexes will settle down and a large amount of equality will fall into place so that for the next generation all things will be equal.
For a full list of dates of when women were given the vote in various countries link here. What did amaze me was that Australia (1902) and New Zealand (1893) gave their women the vote before the UK.....
+ If a man marries and has children there is a one-in-three chance he will lose his home and a one in ten chance of losing contact with his children
+ Men die, on average, seven years younger than women
+ The vast majority of homeless people are men
+ Three times as many men as women commit suicide
Taken from Robert Taylor's column in the IHT today.....
These statistics are used to highlight an article which shows that men are feeling the rough end of 'women's lib'....both personally and professionally.
This is obviously a fairly recent phenomenon, for hundreds of years women have been seen as men's chattels (and in some society's they still are)...I am not saying that it is good for men to suffer nor am I backing an 'eye for an eye' campaign....however, I think in some cases it has been necessary for men to realise what women have been (and some still are) up against either in the working world or in their private lives.
Taylor's article, in summary, is saying that now that men are feeling 'hard done by' (not meant to be sarcastic....just very tired and cannot think of another phrase - sorry) they realise that the only way that men's voices can be heard again is with a very visible political agenda....i.e. Fathers4Justice who pull of news making stunts such as this....in the hope that the government and thus the courts will realise a father's importance to their children...even after a divorce
So far (to the best of my knowledge - and pls correct me if I am wrong) these 'men's rights' protests are family linked and there have not been any related to discrimination in the work place....that honour still lies on women's shoulders...although fortunately things have improved dramatically - even in the 18 years I have been associated with my industry.
However, things are still not ideal.....I work in a very male dominated industry there are only a few women in the same position and upwards that I am in (and I am not that senior)...in fact within my company which has nigh on about 50 branches...the number of women in the same position or the next step up as I am, can be counted on one hand.....this is not the company holding them back it is just that it is not an ideal industry for a woman to flourish....long hours, next to zero family life and it would be a huge challenge to raise children. Please note, I am not complaining, I love my job...I'm just stating facts.
After I finish reading Taylor's article I switch to today's local paper of choice....the Philippine Inquirer...and read MLQ3's strangely relevant article....
"Today marks 68 years since Manuel L. Quezon signed the law recognizing women's suffrage"....so 68 years ago (1937) today the paperwork was signed to enable the women of the Philippines to vote......admittedly after the UK (1918 with universal suffrage in 1928) but before Malaysia (1957) and Switzerland (1971).....
My point (I know it is all rather loose....but as I said I am tired) is that women's lib is still a recent memory, fighting for the vote is still a recent memory and discrimination in the work place is still ongoing, so, yes, what Robert Taylor is writing about is tough but personally (and I am sure I will be given a hard time over this next statement) I think a small amount of it has been necessary to make men realise that women have rights to......hopefully the two sexes will settle down and a large amount of equality will fall into place so that for the next generation all things will be equal.
For a full list of dates of when women were given the vote in various countries link here. What did amaze me was that Australia (1902) and New Zealand (1893) gave their women the vote before the UK.....
posted by Madame Chiang at 8:36 pm
3 Comments:
Thats not surprising, Aussie women are very demanding, while English women are...well...very English.
could you elaborate.....?!
You know the old joke. "Why do men die before their wives? They want to!"
Seriously though, the whole feminist thing has gone way off the tracks. Getting the vote for women was one thing. Restructuring the work place where men are automatically placed at a disadvantage is another.
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