Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Guardian seems to notice mothers are a bit tired

38 replies

ArabellaScott · 28/02/2021 18:48

Looks like a good article (no time to read it, IRONICALLY) which refers to a recent MN survey.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/28/mums-women-coronavirus-covid-home-schooling-inequality?fbclid=IwAR0ww0pLwWSAINIzzCbCEI68TwHBNWGh6e7eyVYJDUW1w3u3VzkrI-VY2pQ

'We need to reclaim a materialist feminism that isn’t afraid to talk about parenting, pay and poverty, a feminism that seeks change, not accommodation to the status quo. We have to learn from this crisis. It has reminded us that, under a flimsy carapace, women are still poorer and still less powerful than men. It has exposed to us that women are still doing most of the caring in a society that doesn’t value care. It’s reminded us that we need urgency and solidarity if we are to make change. And it’s reminded us that change is way overdue.'

OP posts:
WeRoarSometimes · 01/03/2021 10:05

It's a great article. They could have chosen a better photo/picture to give the headline more gravitas, even it is in the Guardian.
I find myself leaning towards press (Daily Mail) and political figures (Conservative/Republican in the US) on women's rights now. I would vehemently disagree with them in other parts of my life but the other parties Labour/Lib Dem just are in wilful ignorance of what is going on.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 01/03/2021 09:40

I think it's as much to do with the (probably) careful and deliberate non-valuing of women's contributions.

I found it absurd that I would receive nothing whatsoever for looking after my child, but if I put him in nursery for 30 hours a week and looked after someone else's, I'd be paid for it, for example.

I think women's and mothers' roles need to be fully and properly acknowledged. I don't know if paying mothers would make sense, but we can't go on pretending that all of this care and time and effort and fucking hard work (hardest work I've ever done, and I've had many jobs in many different industries) just is magically wafted about by invisible, compliant, ever-complacent women who require no consideration, thought, support or recompense.

I remember a few years ago the grandparents of Spain went on strike, recognising quite rightly that the economy relied on them providing masses of unpaid childcare.

OP posts:
WarriorN · 01/03/2021 07:23

Good article.

Much of this is still steeped in a stereotypical idea of men bringing home the money and women house keeping.

When I went part time but had kids I felt like Dh mentally switched off house work wise. He seems to see weekends for absolutely nothing but relaxing. In reality I'd only dropped two days of work. During which the extra nappies and shopping and mess was enough to fill it.

FreiasBathtub · 28/02/2021 22:50

This is a great article. Progress has been papering over the cracks in a deeply unequal society - that's exactly it.

I think we will need to state and restate this viewpoint as the govt progresses with its review of social care. I heard something on the radio about exempting housing from care home fee assessments, as long as the families commit to do everything they can to keep elderly people able to live at home. Who do you think is going to end up doing that enviable job? I can tell you that in my family it won't be the husbands/sons. Women will be fucked over, again, just as their careers start to recover from the childrearing years.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 28/02/2021 22:32

StillWe, that is a good, bold article on women's prisons. Yet manages to swerve the impact of crime being recorded by self-declared sex, which will quickly have a big impact on the stats.

OP posts:
YouSetTheTone · 28/02/2021 22:21

@ArabellaScott

I'd say that was more Lichtenstein-esque than Warhol, YouSet. Smile

As per, everyone knows who the women are when they want bums wiped. But they still don't seem to think we deserve our own words.

Aargh! Yes, of course you’re right! Blaming that on the rushing around and typing without carefully thinking.. Blush
Thewithesarehere · 28/02/2021 22:19

@CoffeeTeaChocolate

Am I the only cynic who thinks that the TRAs are staying away from this one?

How many trans women do you think are doing all the homeschooling? Or “dreaming” about doing all the homeschooling...?

Grin
midgedude · 28/02/2021 22:18

Oh hec, a third article in the guardian which manages to notice sex, apparently HRT helps older women avoid the worst long covid effects

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 28/02/2021 22:14

I'd say that was more Lichtenstein-esque than Warhol, YouSet. Smile

As per, everyone knows who the women are when they want bums wiped. But they still don't seem to think we deserve our own words.

OP posts:
StillWeRise · 28/02/2021 19:34

also this good article about women in prison
yet STILL no bloody mention of the HoL decision

CoffeeTeaChocolate · 28/02/2021 19:24

Am I the only cynic who thinks that the TRAs are staying away from this one?

How many trans women do you think are doing all the homeschooling? Or “dreaming” about doing all the homeschooling...?

midgedude · 28/02/2021 19:16

There was also an article about women's prisons , how female offending is different to males ....

YouSetTheTone · 28/02/2021 19:12

I saw this article posted on another thread and agreed it was good (for a Guardian one) - it also reaffirms the need to ensure ‘woman’ can still be defined doesn’t it. If the consequences of the burden of care falling to women needs to be discussed then we need to ensure the definition of ‘woman’ is still clear, accepted and legally upheld.

(I grumbled about it on the other thread too though - is it just me who finds the use of a Warhol style cartoon woman as the accompanying image slightly annoying? Felt like it slightly trivialised the depiction of a woman’s feelings in what is a serious article).