International Women's Day: how can we make the world more equal?

Shit there is so much wrong with surreydad's post.

Another time, maybe...

surreydad, men can have those things if they want. It's men that make the rules and always have done.

Surrey Dad - right on!!

I would like to know if any fathers out there have been asked if they are going to go back to work once the baby has been born?

When us ladies teach our daughters and huband how to bleed the radiators - oh, I just did that yesterday! (smug emoticon!)

when female sigers do not have to gyrate almost naked against a man or sing about how they love sex whilst fellating banannas.
when we will no longer walk into newsagents to be faced with a glamour model bent over with her crotch out at our childs eye level.

PS Do we women get regular check-ups at the GPs?

Carriedababy and SallyBrownEyes you shall go to the ball become Dr.s!

You can do it, if you really want to. You really can, I am living proof. I have a mixed heritage background as well as being a young girl/old bag woman and I have got a doctorate. For a while I wondered if they had let me have it because they were sorry for me - truth! but then I realised I must be quite clever after all.

SurreyDad you are on the nail. When we can choose what we would like to do, and balance fulfilling work with lovely time with our kids, instead of most of us running around like bluebottles either juggling job-and-child or bored at home or working too hard to spend time with family or people thinking we are weird because we want to spend time with the DC, even though we are men or ought to be high achieving in our careers so as not to let the sisters down or ought to prioritise an overseas trip or training event which just happens to be at the weekend, blah blah, then we might be there.

prob already been said, but by ensuring that legislation is passed giving both men and women equal maternity/paternity leave.

Oh, and the option for men to take the woman's surname when they get married...

As a man, I would like:

1. The choice to use a title that denotes I am married, in a similar fashion that women can use Ms/Mrs/Miss, rather than just plain old Mr;

2. The choice to stay at home for a year to look after a baby if my wife goes back to work 2 weeks after giving birth;

3. The ability to apply for a passport for my child without having to prove I have parental responsibilty, unlike a female parent who automatically has parental responsibility;

4. I would like the NHS to invite me to pre and post natal classes, as well as my child's other parent;

5. I would like to get regular visits or checkups to the GP like women do, so that I can get to know how the system works so that when I get ill I know what to do;

6. It would be nice to have acknowldged that men and women in their 30's tend to earn the same as each other, and women in their 20's earn more than men, so that the gender pay gap has been reversed once everyone over 40 retires;

7. I want it to be socially acceptable for a man to have a choice to be a house husband or work, same as it is socially acceptable for a woman to;

8. Traditionally female occupations should have gender-neutral job titles - nursing needs to get rid of the job title 'Sister' - like male orientated occupations have done - firefighters instead of firemen, Women Police Constables no longer exist etc;

9. In order for there to be equality, women need to understand that as well as women trying to emulate men, men need to become more feminine and do some housework.

when we don't need an International Women's Day

Oh, yes, when women are on MN being questioned because they are PM, rather than married to one and having done charidee work (really not meant as a dig, just a statement that status all too often comes through a man rather than in one's own right, even now).

When childcare is free and universal.

Not always itsalarf my Dsis is a higher earner and all it means is that she has to big him up to protect his ego and still does lion's share of 'women's' work!

sorry! on a roll here..

When a group of women can have a disagreement without it being called a "catfight".

When such an argument in the boardroom (ie. the Apprentice) doesn't lead to accusations that women can't be business leaders whilst the Venezuelan parliament can dissolve into fisticuffs without anyone advancing the similar theory that men can't be politicians!

I think we also don't help ourselves by buying mags that have lots of 'overweight-celebrity bikini shots' specials. Maybe we should just try to be kinder to each other, and back other women up.

I also think it's important not stoop to the anti-men sexism that you hear all the time, eg "man-flu", "my husband's so useless...".

.

When men don't say things like "you women wanted equality, and now you don't like it". Heard it on the radio and it really annoyed me. We don't have it yet for a start. Secondly, we need it and should have it. It is not a whim or a fad.
Agree with Xenia though. Being the higher earner as a woman can lead more easily to a equal household.

When you can open a year 7 history textbook and not have to sift through pages and pages on battles and weapons before finding one puny page at the back on what women did.

When boys watch movies with a girl as the main character.

I have a foreign surname too which I clearly wasn't born with, I think this fuelled his curiousity a tad

I would definitely enjoy having the use of Dr as my title!

• when woman aren't mentioned as if we are a minority group rather than at least 50% of the population

• when a weekend away for a woman doesn't include the need to prep all meals, arrange all activities, arrange all childcare, accept that the house will be a tip whilst a man's weekend away involves just walking out the door.

• when they find a new name for part-time working

• when you say 'I am a mother' and you are treated with the same respect as when you say 'I am a professional'

• when employers don't know whether it is a female of a certain age or a male who is going to take leave to raise children.

• when the definition of success isn't becoming a CEO of a company or earning large sums of cash.

Xenia, I rarely share your views... but you made me think this time

Agree with all so far, plus a small bugbear of mine:

• when a marriage certificate does not require the new spouses to enter their fathers' names and occupations but instead asks only for a parents' name and occupation

When a BBCnews.com article on a day in the life of a carer is called 'A woman's daily work' and not the sacchariney 'A mother's love'.

Actually I do love it. I do not look at all like anyone's idea of a 'Dr', and the expression on people's faces when they ask: Is that Miss or Mrs, is hilarious.

One day I was out lingerie shopping, and when the assistant took mine and my friend's details down, appropriately asking: Ms, Miss or Mrs, I was able to say Dr and my friend was able to say: Professor!
Maybe we will have equality when that isn't funny any more!

oh i didn't see that.

yes we tend to get called silly girls, then old women