Invisible Women

There a hidden financial cost to all of society (including men) because these things aren't considered because it's a hidden problem.

During covid the default protection equipment - to help reduce spread and keep HCP able to work - was male - but hospital staff are not predominately male these days so all the money spent is less effective.

Car crashes being less safe for women - well that has a medical and economic cost that perhaps could be mitigated with some adjustments Same with administrating treatments later as women's symptoms of medical likes like heart attack are recognised and treatments not working as well or not being studied for effects in women's bodies also comes with a cost - social and economic as women are in work force and doing unpaid family work.

Talking about them means they get more well known and changes are much more likely. Saying we can't talk about this silencing women and hampering researchers knowing it an issue -means making improvement which affect all of society is harder.

Afghanistan a tragedy but shouldn't be used as a device to shut women up and make them accept inferior products and treatments rather than strive for better or at least better knowledge so informed decisions with existing products can be made.

I bought 6. One is mine. One is my lending copy. 4 were gifts to friends.

Welcome to the fan club of the best book you will read i the next 5 years.

My copy is with a friend. Unfortunately I think she is so taken with it, that I am unlikely to eve retrieve it from her. As long as her 16 year old daughter reads it at some point, I am at peace with this!

I will buy myself another copy. And then probably lend it out too.

It’s both ends of the same spectrum.

The title of this thread interested me as I thought it might be a discussion on the real ‘invisible women’ of Afghanistan.

here is a list issued by the Taliban of things those poor women are prohibited from doing…

Drive a car
Speak in public
Speak loudly inside your house
Travel alone
Own a smartphone
Wear bright clothes
Wear high heels
Go to high school or university
Sing
Read the Koran aloud in public
Look at men they do not know
Attend a protest
Go to the gym
Go to the park
Work in the civil service
Ride in a taxi
Go abroad
Show their faces in public
Speak to a male doctor
Play sport

That’s in addition to wearing burka if they dare to venture outside of their home.

Women are killing themselves rather than live under this oppression.

Should be, at the very least, required reading for every engineer and medical student. That’d be a start.

It’s a must read.
as is her newsletter

Me too. I haven't the energy to change anything. Caring and disability.

Good plan, will bear that in mind for the next time (he does hit his head rather more than is good for him though).

And I hope you counter that with "Yeah, because having a ladder handy every time I need one is so much easier than ducking!" 🙄😂

I can recommend the audiobook of Invisible Women read by Caroline herself - I listened to it (as well as Time to Think and Hags) over the summer and it was great hearing things explained by the author. I’m listening to Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht at the moment.

I have a huge list of books to read (the joys of the feminist resurgence) and I worked out that I can fit listening to audiobooks into short chunks of time like during baths/showers, while doing boring household tasks, when getting dressed in the morning or getting ready for bed at night.

@ramonaquimby 5 days after an emergency c-section, I was at a routine post-birth midwife appointment at the hospital. I had been given pain killers (hilariously low dose at 10mg codeine + paracetamol). I was recovering quickly so the "take 4x a day" had already been reduced by me to about twice a day. I asked if I could have some more. "Sure" my midwife says and sends the junior/trainee off to get some.

Only to have the junior return a few minutes later to say that she's been told I can't have more because I'd maxed out my amount and I should speak to my GP in the morning (this was a Sunday so I couldn't call them that day). Bearing in mind I'd been given a low dose and 2 blister packs so I think a grand total of something like 16-24 pills having left the hospital 4 days before.....

... my midwife wasn't having any of that. She started ranting about how a man whose had major abdominal surgery is kept in hospital for 5 days then sent home with the strongest painkillers available and told not to lift or do anything for 3 weeks but a woman gets only slightly more than paracetomol and is sent home with a newborn after 36 hours!

I got my meds!

Wow 😲

I've recently renewed workplace First Aid, and the trainer said women are just as likely as men to have heart attacks, but they often present differently and the symptoms are too often ignored or minimised. She was extremely good and does loads of courses so hopefully this message is getting out there.

There's a plethora of other illnesses that women are likely to die from and reading that book has made me realise that no-one really cares.

My DMum male GP was talking though taking Statins with her - he said sadly being a woman if she had a heart attack it would be less likely to be recognised by medial people so taking statins to reduce risks was probably more important to her and maybe try them and see if they agree with her.

So occasionally information does get though to people who need to know this stuff though I have personal experience of many more frustrating events.

And you're FAR TOO VISIBLE if you're an attractive female!
Sorry but true.

There is also a podcast 'Invisible Women', it made my blood boil listening to it, not a good idea when driving!!!

I regularly tell my family that as a result of that book, if we ever win the lottery and buy that beautiful new house we plan to do with the proceeds, I'm having a kitchen custom designed including all counters about 1-2 inches LOWER than is standard to better suit me as I am the one who does 90% of the cooking!!!

And don't ever think you are too old for sexual abuse either. I was abused in my 60's at work by a much younger man. Luckily I can stick up for myself and told him where to get off. But if had been one of the younger women they would have been devastated.

You're invisible unless you're an attractive female. I'm 45 now and definitely treated differently to when i was young and looked good 😂

I feel very aware of not fitting in the world. My feet dangle in most chairs and just the fact that at conferences I have to be permanently looking up at men. It's infantilising. On top of that I am quite ugly so I don't even inspire men to feel like they should help tiny little me.

I think you're right! DH is one of those stupidly tall people (his phrase not mine) who cracks his head on the average doorframe, so any grumbles I have about being a 5ft2 shrimp in a 5ft7 world get countered with 'At least short people can use a ladder.'