In this day and age! A thread for unbelievably obvious examples of sexism.

Ah. So I have. I really should learn to watch my language or my kids are going to sound like pirates before they start nursery

have Tesco changed their magazine policy? Because they haven't in my local Tesco. I was thinking about this the other day -

Women's magazines - shit gossip rags, home magazines, cross stitch and baking.

Mens magazines - computer games, films, cars, bikes, all sports, anything interesting basically.

Fucks me off something chronic.

Well if you have been told your whole life that you can only do x, of course you're less likely to suddenly start doing y instead.

Nursery will tell you that you should not play with legos or build anything. This is for boys.
School will tell you that girls are not good at math or physics.
Your career advisor will tell you that you should consider a career in teaching. Or child care or hairdressing, possibly. Remember this? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-475192/Careers-advice-letting-girls.html

And after all that they conclude that we have so few female engineers because obviously, women are just naturally not interested in that kind of careers..

I am really irritated by the apologising for swearing thing as well. I usually get round it by swearing more, but from now on will steal blackcurrants' idea and ask if they think they are trying to point out the difference and exclude me. That is going to go down so well.

that's probably the worst aspect of it. :(

I wonder how many of the children attempt to follow the same as they've been allowed when they go up and how many "conform"?

Ridiculous, isn't it nickel? The story was very positive though, everybody was happy, no negative comments. But ended with "unfortunately the pre-school next door has not adopted the same policy..". So the poor kids who are used to playing with whatever they want, using tools and cooking, go to the next level and are again firmly directed to appropriate pink and blue corners. Sigh.

Why? Why does anybody think it is in any way a good idea?

wow Hazle
Maybe it's us that are backwards, or radical, by trying to change the world?

I think I'll shut my shop now and go back home and start cooking and cleaning.

IdCal - because yuo've got a swearword in it....

I used to work quite often on building sites, and was usually the only woman there. Sometimes there would be a twattish site manager who would say something like 'Mind your language today, lads, we've got a lady present' thinking he was being polite to me, I suppose . The minute he walked away, I'd say to the other workers 'You heard what he said, no fucking swearing in front of me, I'm a laydee dontchaknow!' which broke the ice so everyone was able to talk normally even if I did then have to listen to numerous stories about football fights and dodgy nightclub sex.

grimbletart I understand exactly what you mean. It's infuriating. It reminds me of the other thing I used to hear a lot in my previous job: "Well these women want equality in the workforce, but can they handle it?"

Because we obviously run off crying if someone upsets us!

I live abroad, in the news this evening we had a story about a totally radical nursery that does not force girls to play with dolls and boys with trucks only, but all kids get to experience a range of toys and activities. And they showed a girl using a hammer and a boy pushing a pram. One of a kind, such a novelty idea, can you imagine!

What developing stuck in the 50s, backwards sexist country is this, you wonder? France.

nn? What my Mn name you mean? Not current one, why?

in the South in heavily Christian area) everyone swears, like you wouldn't believe. Dh is now living in the states (we moved back) and he is horrified (he is from Essex)

• Does he know your NN?

Accepted

I wouldn't genralise blackcurrants as where I grew up (in the South in heavily Christian area) everyone swears, like you wouldn't believe. Dh is now living in the states (we moved back) and he is horrified (he is from Essex) that our kids will talk like that. and we're not weird, you are.

Regarding not changing hair for a partner, I'm not sure that really is sexist. I feel that goes both ways. My friend's husband got a lip ring knowing she hated them.. I was genuinely pissed off on her behalf. Obviously you can do what you wat and your partner has no right to tell you what to do. BUt I think your partner having a preference and keeping your hair one way for that person... I don't think it's the end of the world. Dh likes my hair long, I'm kind of neutral about it so I keep this way. He likes his side burns veering towards mutton chops.. which I hate (I don't live in a Jane Austin novel) so he keeps them mid length. It's a happy compromise.

Not last week in my local Tesco, they didn't.

BelfastBloke, Tesco recently changed that thanks to Internet campaigns yay!

possibly more telling was that i couldn't even think of another phrase than fuck-up

that's fine, i can understand that - but it was my first and he didn't give me a warning!
i was dealing with 2 companies -the first company were the people i had the contract with and this company were contracted from them if that makes sense.
the first company neither told that company nor told me that i had to tell them. hence the fuck up.

Nickel - when I worked on the phones(sales) I was told that at the 1st swear word we told the swearer we would not tolerate being spoken to like that, on the 2nd we put the phone down. But that would be swearwords directed at us, not just in general...

20+ years ago so not quite this day and age, but I was told by a friend's father that my then ambition to become an engineer was inappropriate because I would have to swear in order to assert my authority. It wan't that he was sexist, he told me, he was sure I was clever enough, but swearing was apparently beyond the pale. I was

Ha exactly - don't you faint now, delicate flower, when we big men discuss big man business with big manly words!