AIBU to think commander Sarah West has spoilt this for all women now

[Thefishewife]

Commander Sarah West was promoted to the rank of first female navel officer of a war ship despite fierce opposition.

The long held view is that women in such close quarters with men would for long periods of time would lead to the investable and on board relationships are bad for moral , and causes issues that can be difficult to resolve in a small space

After so many years of women navel personal convincing the brass this would not be the case what did she do start and affair with one of her married junior officers on board

Personally I think she is a silly women not just fucked her own career but have set navel women back

And sadly this will be now used as exactly the reason why women should not be on ships (hmm) I was just so peed of when I read this

Well if that's the case Mexican sunshine.....where are they, if women really wanted equality in the workplace shouldn't they be clambering to do these jobs, if only to show they are just as capable as men of doing it? I've never seen one....perhaps it's more a case of....women wouldn't want to do the job, because it's very physically exhausting? But I can't take you serious if you are doubting any difference in the strength of the sexes. That is not a matter of opinion but fact.Obviously a woman can become as strong as a man with much training or repetitive heavy work, but it doesn't come easy as it does a man. I can't see what it is about this that some people get so disagreeable about.

"A few years ago women were insisting they could be miners working along side the men. After massive expense putting in separate toilets they actually discovered they weren't physically able to do the job."

Except in the 19th century both women and children worked down mines.

And perhaps up you should look up some of the tasks that female slaves in the US were expected to carry out.

Oh, and as far as I know, this bit:

"After massive expense putting in separate toilets they actually discovered they weren't physically able to do the job."

is nonsense. Mining was never included in the Sex Discrimination Act. There was never an attempt to allow women to work down mines again. No separate toilets were built.

Hackmum, I don't need to look up some of the tasks that female slaves had to do. I know all about that appalling episode in American history. Slaves both male and female were pushed to breaking point. I also know all about the terrible conditions women had to work under in Industrial Britain. I don't know why you're mentioning them things because nobody is disputing them. You really are missing my point, but feel free to carry on. Regarding female toilets for miners....toilets were built specially for them...how on earth would you know otherwise.?

I spent years in SE Asia growing up, in Vietnam mostly, and there the ONLY refuse collectors were women. They also worked in boiling hot street cafés, worked in the fields with babes on their backs, carried pigs to the slaughter....while the men sat on the pavement drinking beer. I think it is disgusting Maisy that you are saying women can't do physical work the way men do....who the hell do you think works 17 hour days in sweatshops? Who cleans the toilets in this country for pittance? The dirty jobs that men do are far better paid than the dirty jobs women do and it is the MEN who want to keep it that way by saying women are not up to it. And YOU believe it!

Hang on, hang on, hang on....

Isn't this just an ALLEGATION at the moment?

Couldn't possibly have been invented by someone/people out to cause trouble for her??

where are they, if women really wanted equality in the workplace shouldn't they be clambering to do these jobs, if only to show they are just as capable as men of doing it

There you go again treating women as a homogenous mass.

some women can actively strive for equality without all women clambering to be refuse collectors.

The fact is the more educated you are the more likely you are to be a feminist, and the more likely it is that you are going to apply your principles to professional workplaces.

I don't need to be a refuse collector to know I could do it just as well as a man. In this day and age it involves driving a truck and loading wheely bins on to the mechanism on the back of the truck. It doesn't even involve lifting anymore

Pepperwitheverything, you really don't need to bring Vietnam or anywhere else into it. I totally agree that in some cultures women are exploited and do all the dirty work. There's inequality like that all over the world. People seem to be deliberately misinterpretating my posts and arguing about things that aren't in dispute. I never said that women can't do hard physical work, they have done since time began when needs must. Even though this has strayed far from what the op said, my stance is still the same.....men are more suited to hard physical work than women because they are physically stronger. I wonder if you'd like a change in career? .....perhaps in scaffolding or roofing?..... then you'd be better able to convince me.

My sister is a roofer...she works with my Dad who has had a roofing business for 40 years. It hasn't killed her yet. I do see your point Maisy....on average yes, men are of course better suited to more physical jobs. That doesn't mean to say women should be written off. People can also argue that women are more suited to being with children...can you imagine the outrage if men were prevented from becoming teachers or nursery assistants??

And you can't just say forget about women in other countries...they are no different to us.

Pepperwitheverything.....thank you for agreeing with me about men being better able in certain jobs. There's nothing else to say, because I certainly never said women should be written off, in fact on the whole women are harder working, in general a mans work has finished before he gets in the front door whereas a woman has to carry on working in the home, cooking, cleaning, seeing to the kids, all after a days work.

Maisy they might be better suited, but that doesn't mean they are more able. If anything, a woman proving herself is a hell of a lot more able than a bone idle man. Women do something like 70% of the world's work...grinding, gruelling, back breaking work. So it is to men's eternal shame that even though they are physically STRONGER than women, women work twice as hard as they do.

Women do something like 70% of the world's work...grinding, gruelling, back breaking work. So it is to men's eternal shame that even though they are physically STRONGER than women, women work twice as hard as they do.

And yet there is a pay gap that favours men. Taking that and your sentence above into account, where's the incentive (apart from shame) for men to work harder??

Watchingseamonkeys....are you talking about in the UK or the third world? If you're talking about in the UK what is the grinding, gruelling, back breaking work that they do?

Sorry that should have been to Pepperwitheverything.