Chat thread - come chat, rant, or celebrate, here!

Hi Bling

The list was in The Times but I expect other papers without a pay wall had it too - am on phone so not easy to google. My suspicion is that there are few women in the relevant positions at Barclays rather than women in those positions being more cautious.

Lord Copper

Hello. I haven't clicked on this before but am definitely keen to say hello.

Cain pick up on the libor comment? First, can anyone point me to the list of names? As for the women element,nos that because women are more careful? Or more likely, because women aren't given that level of power and responsibility, even though people doing libor setting at banks are generally, relatively speaking, quite junior.

I know I'm being a bit Health-and-safety and pedantic and all that, but I was upset at Pippi Longstocking checking whether a mushroom was edible or not by eating it.

Just been for a wander round a bookshop with a display table labelled, "Real Princesses Save Themselves" with Pippi Longstocking, Ella Enchanted etc books.

Well, hopefully he won't do it again slug!

Just off a transatlantic flight. 28 seats in business class. 4 with women in them. Appropriately I was reading the section of Delusions of Gender that covers the impact of fewer and fewer female role models (specifically in STEM) the more senior you get.

Yesterday, leaving the student union pool to go back to work

"Scuse me darling, have you voted yet?" (it's the student union election time) I ignored him, I'm ineligible to vote. In a louder voice "Oi! Darling!"

In a way, afterwards, I felt a little sorry for him. In my very best ex-FE lecturer very loud voice I explained to him why calling any woman you are not in a relationship of some kind with "darling" is not a good idea unless you were also prepared to do the same for random men he didn't know either. He looked quite cowed and close to tears by the end. It's not as if I shouted or was aggressive, I'd just had a Beschdel day fail day so far and had had enough.

"They would never listen to a woman." Overheard at kids' activity group.

"Girls need pampering, boys don't." Overheard again.

All in half a day. I'm going to give up overhearing things.

We like yellow in our house. If it is not faintly ridiculous we would have painted all our rooms bright yellow. As it is only the living room and the kids' room are bright yellow.

Yellow pills are the way to go

It is everywhere

Welcome, you have officially taken the blue pill (or it could be the red pill )

This one: .

Which answer would make you feel better ?

Are we still chatting?

I'm half way through Delusions of Gender. It's making me see misogyny everywhere. Am I turning paranoid or is misogyny everywhere?

Yes, it passes the test - something that passes the test isn't necessarily feminist eg Sex and the City.

I think my day failed, unless saying Hello as I passed female colleagues in the corridor counts.

OK - I asked MNHQ to withdraw my previous message on account of too much details. Attack of paranoia. Will repost with less details:

I've had one conversation unrelated to work, on the subject of fixing minor mechanical problems. I was pleased (and unsurprised) one of my male colleague complaining about how some men are quite boastful of how they can fix anything, when they can't, in reality, but would refuse to read the manual. I'm a read-the-manual person myself.

I had another conversation with mother and daughter. Mother said "girls play nicely, boys break rules". Daughter agreed.

And I met another friend with a daughter. She bemoaned the misfortune of girls having to have long hair.

I'm not sure this passes the Bechdel test?

When would we realise that reinforcing stereotype does no one any good? When when when?

"I actually think my entire DAY might fail the Bechdel test today." You know what - same here! Unless we count chatting on-line with women. Because I have a household full of males, a team full of males at work and the two women at work I generally speak to, are off!

CaptainW that is really sad. Sorry you had to put up that.

Slurping, IME primarily male on-line spaces are sexist/misogynist place guaranteed to increase your blood pressure on a regular basis. I tend to avoid them now. I have enough men in my life without having to choose to hear yet more men and their views [yawn].

I think with the women in science thing there is a notion that you have to be brilliant and do something amazingly notable or else you contribute to the idea that women can't do science.

Tinkering quietly away seems to me to be seen as not good enough. So I agree with you Captain, it gets to me too. Have PMed you.

Don't normally post in FWR (only lurk) but any discussion of the issues facing women in science really touches a chord with me.

I did biology, chemistry and maths A levels and then went on to an MChem degree at one of the top unis for the subject. I wasn't top of the class once I got there by any means, partly because I never seemed to acquire the necessary techniques for cramming loads of information before exams (was anyone ever taught this? Would have been useful to know!). But anyway, I loved the practical work, and encouragement from my final year MChem project supervisor convinced me to go for a PhD.

Once I was doing my research though I felt lack of confidence tripped me up at every turn. That link about women talking to me about science- that was me. My little research group was fine but every time I spoke to my male peers I left the conversation feeling utterly inferior. They were so sure of themselves - like, all of them! Probably didn't help that we shared our lab with one of the most mysogynistic groups- posters of glamour girls, notices about masturbating in showers and a presenteeist culture.

Also the stuff about funding- everything I saw and heard about progressing in research made it sound as though you had to be super humanly excellent to get anywhere. I just wanted somewhere I could continue my lab tinkering quietly but there didn't seem to be a place for me and I didn't know where to look really- I needed a mentor but my (male) supervisor was a bit rubbish in that respect.

So I ended up on a graduate training course and have just qualified as an accountant, but I'm still sad that I'm not a scientist any more. Sorry for the long tale of woe- it's the one thing that really gets to me.

Anyway off to work now!

I actually think my entire DAY might fail the Bechdel test today. I will observe and try not to swing it one way or the other.

Seething is very common and understandable, Slurpling!

and as an aside, is this kind of low level seething feeling normal for women in what is perceived to be male space? (online, internet, only for those with lots of free time).

And am I a bad feminist for making all my gold from selling skimpy armour to males playing female characters? since this is the only 'women's issue' EVER discussed on wow forums and any more general discussion of women's experience online is shot down by men instantly. HRRRRRGGGFFFRRGGRRR.

Have been thinking about this since last night: was on world of warcraft in a group and out of NOWHERE some guy pipes up: "most annoying shit - listening to gf moan on phone" someone else asks "why listen" and he replies "no listen, no sex lol" and I was sat there like HFFFRRRRGGGRR. To my mind there is no point in doing what I am often advised to do when I see this kind of bollocks which is ignore it because they are kids who don't know any better. Jesus! if he is old enough to sleep with her he is old enough to treat women like people :( I realise this is a little immature of me but I may have cast tricks of the trade on him and got him killed for a minute so he could listen to his gf properly.

and now I'm thinking do I still want to play a game where this kind of stuff is ignored / tolerated / 'part of the culture' (bollocks)? am I overreacting?

have been looking for a new WoW guild recently and they all seem to have the disclaimer 'not for the easily offended' sorry but I AM easily offended by offensive people, if you are nasty pieces of work who say sexist racist homophobe shite as a matter of course, I do not want to know you!

rant off!