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

Doctrine - I just posted on another thread which reminded me about women being angry. It seems that generally a woman's emotional reaction is attributed to her character - "she is an angry person" - and a man's emotional reaction is, well, just that - a reaction to external circumstances. This was in the last issue of New Scientist. Also in delusion of gender, if I remember correctly. Interesting, eh?

Thanks both! I did once have it out with my first boss, pointing our that unlike my make colleagues, i didn't turn the air blue when the client was being a total wanker unreasonable but that the emotion was exactly the same.

I also hate this crying=weak business, especially when it is tears of rage. and for you doctrine. Really, would they rather we bash them over the head to show how bloody strong and angry we are!? No wonder the world is in such a mess.

DS2 was crying out of frustration today (complicated Lego construction kept breaking). I told him to cry until he was not too angry any more and then start the construction again. Is that the right advice? Anyone has any better advice for dealing with frustration?

That's something that really really gets to me. Why the frell (am trying to clean up language cos 2 yo DD repeats things) is crying/having feelings seen as weak?

Arse. I am upstairs at my parents crying because my uncle (who loves to have a go) got all niggly and sexist on me in front of my DSes. And what makes it worse is that I know he'll be judging me more for being weak and going off crying.

Nil points for me today then

I am looking at the box of a toy I had as a child (late 70s)

It is the Fisher Price "Play Family" house - on one end of the box, a boy and girl are playing with it, on the other a girl is holding it and the main picture is a child of indeterminate gender.

None of it is pink. Even the mum and daughter outfits are blue.

It's hard though, I don't really want to be labelled as "One Of Those Mothers" after the first day, when we have (hopefully) many more years at the school.

I'm reading Delusions of Gender and getting more depressed by the minute ... but only in Chapter 4, so maybe it will perk up ...

pookamoo I would have a friendly chat with the nursery.

I remember being angry (can't remember why now - too many moons ago) and asking the nursery manager rather loudly what her policy was on interfering in the relationship between a woman and her child. I was (and probably still am) a nightmare. So I apologise in advance ...

Not surprised you felt miffed. Hope DD had a go on the Brio later.

I'd like to join in if I can, please? Feeling slightly miffed at something that happened today and wanted to get your take on it.

DD1 started her first day at preschool today. Very nice staff, but:
They greeted her with:
"Hello gorgeous, don't you look beautiful today? Now xxxxx, what do you like playing with best? Shall we go and find the home corner and the dollies?"

They didn't give her the chance to answer the question about which toys she likes playing with. Actually she's not so fussed about dollies, although she does like dressing up, and she'd been eying up the big brio train layout since we walked in the room. I said nothing (to my shame when I thought about it).

I just wish she had been given the opportunity to say for herself, and had not been judged on her appearance when she came in the room. She's 4. What hope is there?!

DH was pretty pissed off about it when I told him. We have two girls, and fighting gender stereotyping is so hard. It doesn't help when some of the teenage girls I know think that feminism is "done" and "we are all equal now, so whatever".

Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest. Hello.

I should really know better than read comments by the MGP (Members of the General Public), ever since I inadvertently read a comment on youtube criticising Rachmaninov for playing a Rachmaninov prelude wrong ...

Oh I never saw those! I have an automatic mind/eye block when it comes to comments

Abigail - interesting link. But I wish I didn't read the comments lower down the page. Depressed now...

Quick rant about the "poem" before washing up - having DC who are a bit older (6 & 9) I'm doubly upset about the idea that they should even think that it's my job to do all these things. In fact I set them to work too - after all we all live in this house and we should all pull our weight. So now me to the washing up and them to the tidying-up of Lego ...

I've posted this on other threads as well - only read the free sample chapter (cheapskate ) but it was extremely interesting.

I used to scorn all these equality business and all the processes and guidelines. But now that I'm older more grown up I begin to see how the odds are stacked against some of us.

I'm reading Delusion of Gender ATM (having just finished the Millennium trilogy finally) and giving DSs summaries.

Thanks Abigail, that's a really interesting experiment. Have posted in Science and Nature Club as well, hope you don't mind.

And whilst we are chatting about women in science this is an interesting article:
How stereotypes can drive women to quit science

Not liking the poem at all LordCopper. It just seems to imply that women should be doing everything domestically but that all that isn't really as necessary or as important as your child - just in case we didn't already know that. It is patronising and implying that women have to juggle it all and as such you will never get the balance right.

With regards Athena Swann, when it was presented to me (this was part of a women's forum at work) I did ask whether part of the scheme looked at why women weren't getting through to the top echelons because my thoughts were the reasons were more layered than just plain good old discrimination (although undoubtedly that is still a major factor) but more that the whole workplace and jobs were designed for people who didn't have childcare responsibilities i.e. men! Or even more subtly women's confidence (or lack thereof) was a hindering factor. And I don't mean that derogatorily. But the woman who presented gave a perfect example of when she had been interviewed for a position, she walked into a room and there were 7 men sitting their facing her. She found that very intimidating (as you would!). So I think that they are looking quite deeply into the reasons for the discrimination rather than just "oh look you haven't got enough women, get some more!".

Whether these issues get addressed remains to be seen!

And hello doctrine! :)

The things with Athena Swan and maths: we have more female undergraduates (maths) than male undergraduates. We have the sum total of 1 female professor. Something happens in between....

Slow down mummy. Had me frothing in the mouth. Am I over sensitive?

Hi lord copper!

Hello!

Just found this. May I join in?

Obviously not read the whole thing because I'm supposed to be working at the moment. But saw mention of Athena Swan. We are doing that too these days. Not sure what I think about it at the moment ...

Did anyone rant about the "Slow down mummy" "poem" that was making the rounds on FB a few weeks ago? Will find link later.