..to think that life is now tougher for young women and girls?

[Brainwave89]

Good afternoon fellow board users. I have started to feel for some time that life for women and girls has got tougher over the last ten years when, as a child of the 1990s I had hoped it would have gotten better. As examples, I see widespread sexual assault in schools to the point where girls do not appear safe. I see rape convictions at the lowest level for over twenty years. I see a significant growth in porn driven misogyny where online the environment is toxic and deeply unfriendly to women and girls. Representation on FTSE 100 boards has not substantially changed over a ten year period. There is substantial evidence that within domestic partnerships, over a forty year period the workload on women has actually increased rather than decreased- women now working, but still being expected to provide the bulk of childcare, run a house alongside often holding down full or part time work. I am feeling a bit depressed on a Wednesday afternoon? Please cheer me up...?

Sorry, can't. I think the level of gender stereotyping is worse now than when I was growing up in the 70s & 80s. Girls could have short hair, wear all sorts of colours, men could wear makeup and dresses.

I disagree. Women have never had it so good. That's not saying everything is amazing, it's not. But things are improving all the time.

I agree. There’s been a roll back into very separate gender stereotypes in all sorts of ways. For example the ‘ideal’ feminine and masculine beauty archetypes are very (almost exaggeratedly) feminine and masculine. Availability of tweakments adds pressure to look a certain way and spend certain sums. There is now no such thing as a tomboy, now you’re gender confused. If you’re raped it’s less likely than ever in the modern era to result in a conviction and you are totally unlikely to be treated with dignity in the process. Porn in the mainstream has led to skewed expectations as to what most women want and have resulted in worrying trends in sexual violence.

What a time to be alive and be a woman.

Say 50 years ago, there were lots of problems (stereotyping, discrimination, low rape convictions etc) AND nothing was said or done about, so lots of people didn't even think there was much of a problem. Those people affected would suffer in silence.

Now, there is a lot more awareness of these problems (metoo etc) but no solutions yet. The more awareness makes us think everything is worse (when maybe it is the same as before) and we haven't yet got practical solutions to the problems.

But as we talk about stuff & raise awareness, we will find practical solutions, and it should be possible to make things better.

I think there should be more focus on the practicalities - what would the ideal solution look like? what mechanisms should society have to protect women? and if the old ones (like the criminal justice system for rape) aren't working, what should change?

Bag There has been progress in many areas. But currently the whole concept of womanhood is under attack. It is ridiculous that in the 21st century we should be having to defend the meaning of the word woman and our need of single sex spaces.

I think it’s always been bad