to wonder why women need special classes...

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

...in bricklaying, plumbing, woodwork and decorating effects! Just browsing through the local college prospectus and in starter courses there they are. Specialist decorating effects, intro to woodworking skills, basic plumbing and intro to bricklaying then after listing them all they are repeated but specified For Women.
Do they have lighter bricks for our dainty little hands? Do we use hearts and flowers and fluffy bunnies for decorating effects while the men use ox bollocks as rollers ?
It smacks of let's let the little ladies think they can do these man things. Arent they funny little creatures? fnaar fnaar fnaar snort!
Maybe its less intimidating or they have them for that reason but it seems so patronising.
Rant over.

[Pixel]

I used to work for a construction fixings and power tools company. I was in the accounts office, there were only three of us women amongst all the salesmen, counter staff, warehousemen, repairmen etc. I was quite surprised to be sent on a course with some salesmen (and still have no idea why) but we had to try out all the power tools and different fixings for plasterboard and the like. It was quite interesting and I had no feeling that I was being patronised. Obviously my boss back then was a lot less sexist than he could have been given the 'macho' nature of the industry!

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

2kids youay have it there. I'm feeling particularly peevish today with arsey men annoying me when out at the shops with my 3DCs . This just tipped me over the edge. I wouldn't feel in the least intimidated in a class full of men but if they are going to segregate things do it to everything not just the bits where men might get upset that a girl was better

[YouTheCat]

But why compound these ridiculous stereotypes?

If there's a bloke on the course who's a mysoginistic arsehole, pull him up on it.

[catinabox]

I can't imagine anything worse that trying to do a traditionally male course surrounded by patronising and condescending men just waiting for me to fuck up so they can smirk in an "I told you women weren't no good at man stuff"

That ^^

Also, we might be better at it than they are imagine the uproar.

If i registered for one of these classes i hope I would get the option to have pink tools and pink overalls.

[MurderOfGoths]

If they are finding women are being put off the mixed gender courses, maybe they should look at fixing the problems there instead of segregating?

[LaFataTurchina]

I think I'd join up for the women only one too, I just want to learn to put up a shelf without having to (potentially) pull my coursemates up on every twattish thing they say.

[YouTheCat]

As Murder said, that isn't going to fix the problem.

[Isabeller]

I would love to do some of these courses, mixed would be ok but women only could be even better.

There was a women run plumbing course I was really interested in a year ago but told it wasn't suitable for pregnant/breastfeeding women and as I was ttc I didn't join

[Isabeller]

Ps If I'm doing a course these days I'm more interested in learning the thing I'm there to learn than fighting race/gender/disability battles as I have needed to do in the past.

[nemno]

Can women sign up for the other course? Presumably yes as you didn't say it said 'for men'. I'd sign up for that one. I am sad that there is the need for the women's course but it sounds from this thread that there is then I'd rather it existed than not. Repeating that I'd rather still that it wasn't necessary. Hopefully the sexist twats on the unisex course will still be kept in line.

[MurderOfGoths]

But Isabellar if you are going to work in a predominantly male industry then you are going to have to fight gender battles anyway.

[Grumpywino]

I love the idea of challenging stereotypes and male brutish behaviour but really, honestly, what has womens lib got us so far???? Can't we just learn a bit of DIY in peace? And put up our Brad Pitt/One Direction/George Clooney calendars?

[MurderOfGoths]

"but really, honestly, what has womens lib got us so far????"

Whole other thread.. but really?

[Grumpywino]

Really.

Many years ago my mother told me that most men pay lip service to womens lib. I disagreed then, life experience has taught me otherwise.

[McNewPants2013]

After you have the qualification you have a lifetime to sort gender battles out.

On a course, then all i want to do is concentrate and get the work done.

I wouldn't care either way

[TheSlug]

I would much rather do this course for women than join one that is going to be predominantly male. Also to whoever asked about turning a man away from a woman's course, they will be able to because it's positive discrimination- redressing the imbalance in the workforce.

[MurderOfGoths]

So I'm just imagining the vote? the fact we can now work? that we can own property? that husbands now cannot force their wives to have sex with them? etc.

It's done a fair bit. Still got a way to go obviously. But one thing we don't have to do is be educated separately. And it is the job of the school/college etc to make sure that both sexes can be taught alongside each other without needing segregation.

[sameoldIggi]

Someone asked about sex discrimination - I imagine they would be viewed as positive action, to redress a gender imbalance in the usual uptake of classes.
I have taken a women only car maintenance class. It was a lot of fun. I would not have signed up (especially at the age I was then) for a mixed class - and realistically for mixed you can read "male".

[SomethingOnce]

I'm wondering if perhaps they had low uptake by women and did a survey to find out why, and the results indicated that more women would take the courses if they were women only. If it was responsive rather than patronising, wouldn't that be ok?

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

somethingonce yes it would be ok if it was responsive but renaming the automotive maintenence ' Women on Wheels' is patronizing to me.

[Isabeller]

True sometimes Murder but still a bit of a waste of energy when there is a real choice. Lots of women working as plumbers aren't working with men though and that quite appeals. Probably not a realistic possibility for me.

[Isabeller]

True sometimes Murder but still a bit of a waste of energy when there is a real choice. Lots of women working as plumbers aren't working with men though and that quite appeals. It's probably not a realistic possibility for me to train in a new practical skill now but I still hanker a bit.

[MorrisZapp]

They don't need separate classes. But obviously they want them.

If I was to attend a tiling class, I'd much rather go to a women's one.

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

Well looking at the responses on here I'd guess it was a response thing. I am actually quite surprised how many would prefer a women only class. Its not something I would think 'oh yes, that class will be more enjoyable' with just women. I'm not judging just saying.

[YouTheCat]

For years my ex belittled me and told me I was rubbish at all kinds of things. He especially liked to seize control by making out I was hopeless at all decorating/diy and making me feel crap.

I've now discovered I can actually decorate and even managed to cut and fit blinds myself (in half the time it took him to do it). And the reason he belittled me was because I was actually better than him at these things and he didn't like me threatening his masculinity .

I will never ever allow a man to do that without setting him right.