Girl jobs and boy jobs

Is feminism synonymous with socialism?

Noneedforasitter wrote - "It's ridiculous to argue that TM isn't a feminist. Purely in terms of being a role model for women she has done more than almost any other woman in the U.K."

On whether Theresa May (or Margaret Thatcher or any other female leader) is a feminist or not, I think a woman achieving something that few or no other women have achieved does not automatically mean that the woman is a feminist. People describing a high-achieving woman as a "feminist role model" or "feminist icon" does not turn her into a feminist, in the absence of feminist actions from the woman.

If a woman is mostly or entirely motivated to be a political leader to help her rich, mostly male, supporters while making the lives of poorer women more difficult, then she is just a female capitalist, not a feminist.

Of course becoming PM is a huge achievement, and it's good to have role models of women in power, but TM's policies are not women friendly, as analysis from people like IFS of the impact of austerity and public sector policies shows.

I agree Needforasitter She was very uncomfortable in that interview but to extrapolate from that she doesn't believe in women's rights is nonsense.

It's ridiculous to argue that TM isn't a feminist. Purely in terms of being a role model for women she has done more than almost any other woman in the U.K. The boy/girl comment was a poor attempt to come across as an everywoman in a non-political interview. It was ill judged, but no more than that.

I'm glad to see a thread on the boy jobs/girl jobs comment. It really irritated me when I heard it.

So she's a powerful, independent female leader, but she's the wrong type of powerful, independent female leader.
You can tell she's not a feminist because she is a Prime minister and not left wing. Self declaring active right wing feminists are as common as rocking horse shit especially in the Tory party.
The Tories are on their second, how many will they have had before labour even have a woman leader?
As we have seen from any number of Labour Party leadership contests, being a party awash with feminists, both male and female hasn't lead them to elect one. Is it that the few women putting their names forward aren't good enough, or do the Labour party now need Chakrabati to do an inquiry into their possible sexism.

I feel the same about TM as I did about Thatcher tbh. WTF is the point of having a female PM if she's not pro women's rights

In what way is she not pro women's rights?

I feel the same about TM as I did about Thatcher tbh. WTF is the point of having a female PM if she's not pro women's rights? Neither of these women did anything to help the real needs of women and sometimes seem worse than the men when it comes to passing policies that will support these inequalities.

The girl job / boy job thing was cringeworthy (as was the whole interview TBH)

TM definitely has feminist credentials in the way that she has helped other women climb the career ladder (both indirectly, within the Tory party, and by the appointments that she has made as PM). She doesn't play the rules that the men have set - which frustrates them no end, but is what saw her walk into power last year. She has a strong sense of female identity - she is not trying to be "better than a man" in how she does her job, she just does it.

Some of her policies impact particularly hard on women. Her interaction with Trump was nauseating

I don't think it's as simple as labelling her a feminist or not

I don't think anyone should be promoting the idea that there are gendered jobs, in or outside the home

Indeed. Perpetuating this idea feeds into the idea there are "girls' toys" and "boys' toys", past times, subjects at school, jobs. Even as a woman and Prime Minister doing so does this - if anything it adds greater weight to that outdated notion.

TeiTetetua in a sense, and I have read of some of her policies/actions which have supported women. But when so many have hit women, not least the most vulnerable, it's difficult to see her as feminist.

I was hoping to see this mentioned somewhere, I think it's been overlooked! I don't think anyone should be promoting the idea that there are gendered jobs, in or outside the home.

Nobody owns a copyright on the word "feminist", so it's open to anyone to appropriate. But then, anyone can laugh about it afterwards.

Theresa May could say that anyone should be able to take any job, and she's proving it every day, and isn't that feminist? You can't argue with that, but one would like to see just a little more commitment, especially in some area where personal ambition isn't also a motivation.

Just imagine Maggie Thatcher in that shirt, though. The very idea.

I think that's right Assassinated, but if I remember correctly, Fawcett cleared it all up and it either wasn't as bad as it was made out to be, or they hadn't known. Either way, they came out of it ok.

Their merchandise is still extortionately expensive.

I seem to remember they were made by people in poor conditions as well, rather than by a company that considers the welfare of its workers.

I'm surprised she has said she's a feminist. I don't see that from her actions at all. Again it's disappointing but not surprising.

I said I find the term "leggy beauty" sexist. I do.

The best place I find to discuss feminism away from the trolling and so forth on social media and this is how another feminist acts towards me, lovely!

No, you telling me I can't not call myself something silly is you being ridiculous. Own it.

Oh right. Me posting my opinions are ridiculous, your being patronising towards me is fine because you've decided it is. Nice.

No love, not at all. I just fancied being patronising as a response to your being ridiculous. So we're quits.

Assassinated.. of course the t-shirts were a ridiculous stunt, and massively out of the price range of most of the women who might have liked to buy one. She has stated that she sees herself as a feminist a fair few times. Words and actions don't always match up

Thank you nolove, I hadn't worked that out for myself, it's so lucky you're here to set me straight. I shall never not call myself a leggy beauty again.

Thanks for yet another patronising comment towards me. You obviously have some issue with my posts, ah well.

Indeed. I've never heard her actually say she was a feminist, only wear that t-shirt once (as a number of politicians did). David Cameron once claimed he was a feminist when pressed in an interview, but I wouldn't say he "calls himself a feminist".