I regret not giving my DCs unisex names

This is good about sex bias. Apparently even women have an unconscious bias against women:

link to Radio 4 programme

Christ, 2011 seems like such an innocent time. I can’t imagine the joy of just feeling guilty that I’d given my DDs names that made examiners realise they were female, as opposed to havjng brought them into a world of #me too, rape trials, incel and self-id....

rushes off screaming...

ZOMBIES....

The original post and discussion also seems to date from 2011, which is a bit strange, but hey ho.

Everything about a system that was designed for boys because girls were not admitted somehow magically advantages girls? Cool story.

sorted the handwriting thing by passing on ehlers danlos, not so much the name though.

I don't think unisex names give some women any more freedom than other women. Obviously, promotions and employment are done through in-person interviews. I have a unisex name and it's never done anything for me. Since being feminine is a trait misogynist employers look for in a female employee; I've had my name remarked upon by these, I would say it hurts my chances of a job.

But then: Kim, Adrian, Ashley, Lindsay? Shirley and Hilary crossed over long ago, of course.

I found this American site that definitely has a few entries saying "Becoming more common for girls, less so for boys":
www.babynamesetc.com/art15.htm

The writer is trying to steal Julian for girls: "Julian: only popular for boys...I really like this name as a girl name too."

Then again, feminists will know about Julian of Norwich.

I know a handful of Lesleys, all 40s/50s. (Male name should be spelt Leslie - I don't know any)(well there was Les Battersby...)

Know several young Sams & Alexes of both sexes

Where are the female Lesleys? The only one that I know is 55yrs old. Rowan has never been fashionable for boys and girls. Any class with have an Alex or Sam (boys)It is all to do with fashion. I don't think there were ever many male Evelyns or Hilarys-they seem a bit wet like Clarence, Percy or Cuthbert-they may come back one day.

One thing I've noticed, and I've seen written about, is that once a name becomes unisex, it actually becomes a girls' name. Nobody will call a boy by a name that could cause him to be mistaken for a girl! So Dr Williams may be of the last generation of male Rowans.

Think of Evelyn or Leslie.

I just thought it was relevant to the part of this discussion which is about people expressing a preference for one sex or the other.

Sort of puts things in perspective.

Can I be quite clear, UK women of Indian origin, do not want girls-even to look pretty and go shopping with. I am not talking about India and China-even if they happen to have been born in UK.
I would have thought telling a girl she was called Rowan so that people don't know she is a woman is giving her the message that it is better to be a man. (Nothing wrong in Rowan because you like it-I know a girl called Rowan for that reason)

iI have a DD and a DS. Surely being a parent should be about wanting to give your DC inner self worth - the confidence to take on the world. Giving a girl a boy's name (or gender purged name) tells her girls aren't good enough. Unless you're going to tell her it was only Mum's idea and Dad wasn't consulted! Then if you have a DS will you tell him only Dad chose?!

The link was about 1500 girl children thought to be missing from the UK birth statistics although the parents are of Indian origin.

It is a sad world if you have to have a male name to get on and can't get to the top being called Rosalind or Rosie because the examiner or interviewer will favour Richard!

Well yes!

But since women aren't getting to the top in the same sorts of numbers as men why is discussion what could be done to make a more even playing field whinging?

I reject this thread, and it puts me off reading others. I remain a feminist.

You dismiss this whole section, and indeed reject feminism, based on one thread?

Blimey.

I am not talking aboutIndia and China-high dowry expectations would put people off girls in UK!

I thought I was a feminist until a found this feminist board! Obviously not. I find it utterly depressing and will do better hiding it.
I fully expect that men would want a boy to play footie. I just get sad by the fact that with girls, clothes, shopping,a biddable child come first -or appear to on the threads I read. I have yet to see a woman want a DD to share a passion in Scuba diving etc
I was brought up to think that girls could do anything-and so was my mother- that we didn't have to whinge on about unisex names. It is a sad world if you have to have a male name to get on and can't get to the top being called Rosalind or Rosie because the examiner or interviewer will favour Richard!

I will leave you all to it. But women won't be equal until they let the trivail go and concentrate on the main points. You would never get a man saying,'I did badly because I was called Wayne and I would have done better as William'.

exoticfruits, your rant about gender expectations is preaching to the converted, you do realise that, don't you? I'm sure that on the threads you describe, you will find plenty of posters who also post on this board.

The only difference is that many on here don't see gender stereotypical traits as natural, but as socially conditioned. Which, I concede, is a major difference and I suspect never the twain shall meet on that one.

I haven't read any threads about people being disappointed to have either girls or boys - I wouldn't click on a thread like that though.

However, regardless of whether these threads exist or not, MN is a predominantly female site and therefore not representative of the population as a whole. I think there is a chance that some women are more likely (in this society) to want to have female children because they are female themselves and relate to females. The opposite goes for some men.

As has been pointed out, it is girls who are being aborted and killed their millions. This does happen in the UK too although of course much higher numbers of girls are disposed of in India and China.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7123753.stm