'Don't you have a boyfriend or husband who can look at that?'

[buzzmoon]

boiler issues, and speaking to a plumber who says the above.

Sorry just because I have a vagina that makes me incapable of doing it myself?

AIBU, or should I have said F you!

@Mollyringworm it was snap circuits as someone else mentioned. I really like them.

There used to be a handy'man' service in my local town called 'Rent a Husband'.

Now that'd really boil your piss....

My example (well two) isn't tradesperson or sales related but happened with my dd (aged 5). Christmas before last she asked for a wrestling ring and figures, as she'd gotten into sometimes watching old dvd's with dh and playing the game with him (please don't flame me, she understands it's staged and to never act it out in real life). Anyways we got her them, managed to track down her favourite wrestler too (from the early 90's) and she was over the moon.
Took the dc to hairdressers for their back to school trim and the hairdresser was chatting to her as usual-quite quiet just two other customers in, and when asked what she got for Christmas she told them. The lady cutting her hair literally doubled over laughing and shouted across the room to her colleagues to regale how this little girl-who apparently looks so girly got a wrestling ring for Xmas-haha how funny etc etc. I could see my little girl looking a bit so just said to my dd but for loud enough for everyone's benefit that 'we like what we like don't we dd? No such thing as boys or girls things' at which point the hairdresser backtracked slightly and justified it as 'just wasn't expecting it-she's looks like such a girlie girl'

Along the same line my friends children were joining brownies and she thought my two may be interested so enquired about any further places. She mentioned it to me and the same dd from above said she'd rather do wrestling club or boxing. Apparently the next week when the brownie leader (sorry I don't know the correct terminology) enquired as to if my two were interested my df reiterated what my dd had said, to be met with 'shes a girl! Little girls shouldn't be doing that sort of thing' complete with a tutting and a look of disdain.

Sashh

I have a dp but this was for a place I owned and part of my business. If a male builder had walked up to the stand and asked for them to come round and quote do you think they would have been asked for a gf to be present.

The problem is if your male dp is there when they come round to quote, you, the one paying for the stuff is ignored. Everything is explained man to man and you are expected to get the tea. I have had a friend as well as me that this has happened to. her dp couldn't give a hoot about where a soil pipe was fitted. Yet everything even after he told him over and over again to direct everything to his wife the guy continued to speak directly to him.

In the end I cut out the middle man and measured up the windows and had a company make them for probably half the price they were going to charge me. The only thing was I was under time pressure and I had to take some one off one job to fit the windows

Darmody on the point of sales people they often have to act like they know what they are talking about even if they are talking out their arse. You wouldn't buy something of them if you didn't think they knew what they are talking about?

1DAD2KIDS I think you need to re-read the post you're responding to. They're not talking about the salesperson in that scenario.

When i was in the forces my friend used to drive the largest vehicle in our convoy. A big tractor unit and long equipment trailer. It was a beasts. She was 5 foot nothing and skinny as a rake. When we would pull up at services the look on the faces of the other lorry drivers was always a picture when this little woman would jump out this huge tractor unit.

I think the gender gap at University is incredibly worrying. Young males particularly those from deprived backgrounds are much less likely to go to university than females. They are also more likely to drop out and lower classified degrees than females.

Young males particularly those from deprived backgrounds are much less likely to go to university than females

What do you mean by that statement?

It's far more complex than a headline soundbite statement and simple statistics.

This may be a relevant article about BriefExclamations point from the BBC

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/36266753?client=ms-android-tmobile-gb

There is a gender gap in uni

This reminded me of the time I went to buy a new car - there were about half a dozen salesmen in the showroom who would occasionally glance in my direction but obviously had no intention of actually talking to a mere female. I approached one of them and asked a question - he excused himself and minutes later returned with a man with rolled up shirt sleeves and oil up to his elbows. He could not answer the question, I thanked him politely and turned my death stare on the salesmen who all squirmed a bit and one started to walk towards me - I ignored and walked out of the showroom.

A week later I visited a different showroom where I was treated like a normal human being - I bought a car and drove round the forecourt of the first garage several times so the salesmen could see how much commission they had lost

There is a gender gap in uni

That is a simple soundbite statement. Can you explain more - with reference to subjects, places available, applications per place, popularity etc?

Then things might look just a bit more complicated.

amispartacus if your not happy with the BBC article here is a link to The Higher Education Policy Institute study on the underachievement of boys in uni:

www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Boys-to-Men.pdf

This gender gap is getting bigger too.

amispartacus if your not happy with the BBC article here is a link to The Higher Education

The article is correct in that 35% more women are likely to go than men.

But..have you asked WHY?

And have you bothered to look at the subjects offered?

It is not as simple to say that women are 35% more likely to go to Uni than men without looking at raw data. When you have raw data, you begin to ask the question of WHY.

An example of that is nursing - traditionally a female course and now one that needs a degree.

So that's going to affect the data.

Look at this picture - I can see many areas where men dominate but there aren't many people studying the courses and ONE where women dominate.

WWYD?

Actually it's 2 - subjects allied to medicine and education.

Popular courses, traditionally a lot more women apply for them.

So - now you've seen a bit more of the raw data, WWYD?

amispartacus did you read hepi report? It gives intresting insight to many of the likely causes of this inequality. And surely you can't ignore the data showing this inequality? It is there, regardless of the causes. And yes i have looked at the subjects. For instance women out number men 3:1 in medical and Educational subjects. Maybe this is why our education system if female dominated and why we have seen a shift in the way teaching methods are more female friendly. There is plenty of resarch into how girls and boys respond differently to different teaching methods. Why they respond differently maybe be biological or societal or a mix but they do generally respond differently to different methods. You asked for more detail analysis and I gave it you so please feel free to have a read. I am sorry if an issue of males being disadvantaged has challenged your monopoly on being victims of the system.

It gives intresting insight to many of the likely causes of this inequalit

What inequality?

I look at the data and it shows that most courses are 50 / 50 male female.

The data 35% more likely to go is probably overwhelmingly due to nursing and education being degree level now.

Why they respond differently maybe be biological or societal or a mix but they do generally respond differently to different methods

What teaching methods do you think are an issue then?

I am sorry if an issue of males being disadvantaged has challenged your monopoly on being victims of the system

Bingo.

I've fixed our dishwasher by taking it apart finding the broken piece, ordering it and fitting it. Put a new heating element in our cooker. Replastered around a door frame and rewired a light by myself. DH is completely useless.

Maybe this is why our education system if female dominated and why we have seen a shift in the way teaching methods are more female friendly

So do you see an increase in women going to Uni as a bad thing?

What would you like to see?

1DAD2KIDS

Rather than derailing this thread - why not start a new thread on here or chat about issues affecting boys in education?

Or go to TES and start a thread there.

It's obviously important to you - and MN is a friendly place (unless you use words like victims)

amispartacus

It's not 50/50 is it? You are picking out different courses and going look at this one, only slightly more women on this one. But that fact remains that at the moment if you are male you are 35% less likely to go to university. So by virtue of being male you are less likely to have a degree.

You can cheery pick courses out where women and men can be a close ratio

I can pick course out were women far out weigh men.

We could do that cheery picking all day.
But how many course can we find were men vastly outnumber women?

You just have to look at the figures across education to see that boys are being failed by the education system. If the patriarchy was real it is doing a shit job at looking after the educational attainment of boys.

We need to step away from this gynocentric view that fails to see both men and women are failed by this system.

amispartacus agree we have gone of point a bit. Something we are both complicit in.

But another user posed the argument. You brushed it off. So provided some back up to a very valid point (although not maybe in keeping with the thread). Then we both started arguing the toss over it. Both of us have hijacked this thread.

I am not bothered about starting a thread about it. Just backing up another's valid point.

You brushed it off

No - I could easily debate it with you if you want - but this is not the place.

But how many course can we find were men vastly outnumber women

Umm. Quite a few - computing, engineering, architecture. It's just that there aren't many places available compared to the VAST number of nursing and education places.

So please don't tell me I brushed it off. I challenged you -and will continue to challenge people who say such simple things such as "women are 35% more likely to go to Uni" and teaching methods favour girls - oh, and mentioning victim status doesn't go down too well.

I suspect you are bothered about it. So you could start a thread on it. But if you tell me I am brushing it off, then I am going to bite. I'm like that.