To think we are hugely lucky to have been born in a time and place that is somewhat equal and somewhat free for women

Or maybe they just have a love for their faith (islam) and do what they believe brings then closer to god

Yes, absolutely

Correction : "Our generation in England"

Women in other countries definitely still don't have a lot of rights, in this generation

I didn't write the word "you" did I. I wrote the word "we". I was talking about all of us, not you.
I do think that western women telling women in burkas what to wear, is controlling them. It is her choice.

"In hiding"? The woman is just wearing clothes that cover her up. Which she is entitled to do.

She doesn't HAVE to show skin. All women have a choice.

I completely agree. As women, our generation has been very fortunate. We have benefitted from the work of the generations of women before us

I am 62 years old. I went to grammar school, then read a business degree in the early 80s when fewer people (and certainly fewer women) had places.

After graduation I rented my own bedsit.

Then I bought a flat, without needing a guarantor for my mortgage.

I had a technical career that allowed me to travel to 36 countries

I came home in my 40s and had a child, but did not get married

I split from ds' father,(because he tried to insist I give up my career) I continued to work full time all the way through.

I have raised my son while having fairly easy access to childcare and wrap-around care (although it was starting to fall apart by the time he was in year 6 and it was expensive).

My ds got a scholarship to a private school, that didn't bat an eyelid that I was a single mum.

Soon ds will head off to university and I will retire because I have 44 years NI paid, and a small private pension that I started paying into when I was 22.

I have raised ds to see women as equals. He will get bloody short shrift from me if he ever indicates anything else.

You might have better men in the next generations though. It is hard choice however for many people to choose singleness over disrespect.

I haven’t told her what to wear. Are you trying to stop me having a response to seeing women in hiding?

That would be lovely. So relaxing. We'd definitely be relaxed about what we wear and where we go.
In Japan they have women only carriages on trains.

I like being around men, but i would like it if there was a female only island that you could go to for holidays.

A place to have a break from men. To feel really safe.

I also would like female only spaces on trains and planes. Optional. You could sit in them or sit in mixed. Ive been groped too many times on public transport.

Oh, sure - I definitely agree with that.

I think that's a very interesting conversation - women's clothing is so sexualised and seen through male perceptions of what women are. I've heard those comments about Islamic dress before, and on the flip side, current fashions for clothing which is very revealing. Can we dress for ourselves? Is it all about how males see us?

Yes not all men.

But enough do - that it impacts women's quality of life.

Because not all men choose to behave in this way. I know "not all men" is a cliché! However, my husband and adult son never act in this way, and never would, so some men can manage to live without violence against women.

Yes they are influenced by their culture. As many people are

But what is the most important is their choice to wear what they want. I would never tell another woman what to wear.

If we think a woman is being oppressed by what she is wearing, and then we tell her that she shouldnt wear it, we are also oppressing her. We are also trying to control her

It's her choice - what she wears.

No, I don't think it has moved on at all.

Why do you think it has moved on, when we see so many news stories about men hitting, raping and killing women every week?

Stockholm syndrome. The fear and paranoia behind believing that dressing like that is the route to safety is tragic.

@Boliviabae , surely humanity has moved on from men following natural instincts to "hurt and hunt women"? Men have the power to think, reflect, plan and control their actions. They are not victims of their base desires and impulses.

I am realistic at this stage.

I know that Men abuse women - because they can.

Most men avoid talking to women about how much men abuse women. They usually deny it.

But i had one conversation with a man a while ago that stuck with me.

He was talking about how men treat women on a wider scale and he said

"im going to be honest with you. Men abuse women because they can. If you are going to abuse someone who are you going to abuse? You are going to abuse those that are physically weaker than yourself. Men enjoy the power and why would we give up the power that he have"

It made me think that humanity is exactly like the animal world. The bigger animals hunt and hurt the smaller animals, and we need to be realistic about it

Its exactly the same with humans. The bigger humans (men) hurt and hunt the smaller humans (women). We need to be realistic

There are more women than men. In a world where bring strong no longer matters men should feel lucky to be equal never mind still outrank us in every way.

Honestly it's madness. Where votes matter then anti women legislation only gets in because some women vote for it.

Born 1958.
In 1978 l was sexually assaulted on a night out... ( rape by two guy) .
Went to the police.
Male interviewers..
Questions asked.
Why did l feel the need to wear a short skirt.
Why did l have bright red lipstick on.
Was l wearing tights/ stockings or bare legs.
Was l drunk.
Was a flirting.
Was l egging them on sexually.
Why did l have a low cut top on showing my cleavage.
Did l accept drinks from them.
Did l dance with them.
Clearly it was my fault l got raped.
I ended up going to the well womens centre for std testing and counselling.
Turns out l had ghonnerrea ..
Yet still l felt l couldn't take it further or go to court.
( Remember the Yorkshire ripper? If you saw the programme.. the women interviewed were treated the exact same) . I'm from the same area.
Have things changed? I don't think so
. Three years ago my daughter was a subject of revenue porn.
Still waiting for court date.. she wasn't treated much better.
Don't think what year we were born is any different today for women

I don't agree. I know a few women who dress like this and they told me that it's their choice.

They told me that they dress like it because they like to feel safe when they are out.

Their choice to dress how they want, is the same as our choice to dress how we want

E feel hugely priveleged when I see women swathed head to toe in cover up black, these days, and have it pinned onto their heads. They honestly look imprisoned and I’m so sorry that this has been done to them. It is such a blessing to be free from male tyranny.

This, a million times. We're grateful that we're not treated QUITE as like shit as we were before.

I don't think women are treated equally. In my workplace the men are definitely treated with more respect.

In my team, me and a man do the same job. If people want to ask a question to our department , they always ask him, not me.

Even if he is not working on the task at all. He is seen as the main person in out department. People forget about me as im a woman.

We work with a different team. In the team there is one man and two women. Lets call them ben, sarah and laura.

If anyone wants to ask that team something they always say "ask ben" or "find out ehat ben thinks". People forget that the women exist.

Laura on that team even told me once that her and ben had a meeting one time with another man.

Laura spoke at length to the man about something. The man heard the question, then ignored her and turned and directed his answer at Ben!

I actually worry for my children's generation. Especially my daughter. I'm talking late teens (DD) , mid 20s (DS). I fear things are actually moving backwards.

They've grown up/growing up in an era where social media, influencers, porn, plastic surgery etc are seen as things to aspire to. Obviously not all, but from an early age most girls will have a camera phone, 10 year olds are taking selfies, pouting, sharing, uploading believing that being sexualised is the norm.
Not enough parents are educating their daughters and sons about self acceptance, peer pressure, self esteem, the fight that women have gone through to be where they are today and that there's still a long way to go.
Unsupervised screen time, screen time for babies to keep them quiet. Mums in their early 20s having botox and fillers when without wanting like a right old mare, but back in my day (!) having cosmetic surgery was unheard of unless you were very rich or very famous. Even then it was usually a nose job.

I'm waffling. I'm going to shut up as having dizzy spell, but I know what I'm trying to say.