Page 5 | To think it really is a man's world?

TreatTreat · 2025-07-04T15:22:09+00:00

We all know it is, but itv1 confirmed it even more for me today by calling the Euros tournament the 'women's euro tournament'. TV stations sure as hell don't introduce men's tournaments with their gender in the introduction.

User32459 · 09/07/2025 13:57

ThatDaringEagle · 08/07/2025 09:57

Yeah, they're mostly victims of their own, preciously guarded, misconceptions about it being a 'man's world' !?

The spending on healthcare misconception is the one that screams out here "the Queen is wearing no clothes again".

Posters on here regularly post that there's more money spent on ED than whatever women medical condition is the trending one of the moment..... Yet, one walk into a GP surgery would tell you that maybe 3-4 times the number of women are trying to access healthcare daily ahead of men.

Ditto for spending on specific conditions too e.g. spending v mortality rates on Breast cancer versus Prostate cancers say?

I'm guessing there's far more spent on Breast cancer versus it's mortality risk, based on ads, awareness campaigns & screening programs e.g. I've never seen a screening program for prostate cancer. Like why not??

Yet, we'll hear all the usual moannetters on here randomly reiterate that there's more spent on men's healthcare than women's , when this is patently not the case!!

P.s. this is what Google AI says on this matter (be aware though Google AI maybe written by a man for a male audience 🙄 😉)

"While both breast and prostate cancers are major health concerns, research and treatment spending are not always allocated proportionally to disease burden. Breast cancer often receives more funding and attention, despite prostate cancer having a similar mortality rate in the UK. This discrepancy highlights the influence of advocacy and public perception on funding decisions...."

QED

Edited

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It's a man's world if you go to Suadi Arabia or Iran or somewhere.

Not in the liberal, feminised west.

MageQueen · 09/07/2025 14:00

ThatDaringEagle · 09/07/2025 00:11

Yes, I posted my opinions, and cited several examples where women are clearly favoured in this supposed 'man's world', and where men are often treated far less favorably. These instances pretty much debunk this false thesis in the OP i.e. To think it really is a man's world?. The fact that you can't get past this, is really just your particular issue, and frankly, totally irrelevant to the debate.

I hope this helps you understand the debate better.

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This is so funny. A couple of (terrible) examples and you've debunked the entire theory that the world is designed for men?

Ads: haha, when MEN are the ones who actually DO the mental load of thinking about what the house needs and buying it accoridngly, I'm sure ads will be aimed at them more. Just like fancy car ads ARE, in fact, mostly aimed at men.

Insurance: As I understand it, it's risk based - women are statistically less likely to write off a car (although I think I read somewhere they make claims more often - just smaller ones. I might have made that up).

AMOUNT spent on women's health - I think it's quite likely that overall, certainly on a day to day basis, women's health may well cost a bit more. Certainly, between two pregnancies and some pretty severe peri-menopause issues, I've cost the NHS more over the last 15 years than DH has. And I'm one of the lucky ones - many women I know are costing the NHS more long term becuase of the damage that childbirth and pregnancy has done to their bodies with everything from physiotherapy to surgery.

But we do know that medical research does NOT take women into account - data is not disaggregated and quite often, research consciously and specifically leaves women out because of those pesky hormones of ours. As a result, medications and treatments are designed for men, and we are learning more and more, are not necessarily fit for purpose for women (heart disease being the most famous classic example). As for the breast cancer vs prostate cancer thing - breast cancer receives a great deal of attention because of women who have fought tirelessly to raise funds and awareness. Men could (and in my opionin, should) do the same for prostate cancer.

Of course, having said all that, I'll never forget the amusing meme I saw once that said if men had to give birth, we'd have test tube babies by now!

Family law biased towards women? My ass. Men THINK this is true becuase they don't understand why their ex wives should get the house but that's because they're convinced that if they've been working while their wife hasb een at home, it's THEIR money. In reality, in most cases, women continue to be financially disadvantaged in divorce, particularly if they continue to be the main carers and have taken significant career breaks or have to continue to work around children.

As for job opportunities. I know, it's a shock we want equal opportunities. As for doors etc, most women I know don't particualrly care. I like it myself - but more becuase i see it as similar to driving on the left and overtaking on the right - it allows us to all physically move through the world without bashing into each other. But I'll DEFINITELY take equal pay over Jack in Accounts holding the door open for me.

Needless to say, there are 50000 other examples of where the default is male (as already stated - Invisible women is great for this) - from crash test dummies based on the average man that mean women are more likely to be killed or injured badly in car accidents, to the size of a piano's keys to the way aid is provided to families in warzones.

JHound · 09/07/2025 14:05

Achdinnae · 07/07/2025 07:31

The traditional form of address to a number of females is "Dear Ladies". It's interesting how many women object to this and use "Dear Sirs" instead. I've never come across men who object to "Dear Sirs".

I think the issue using “Dear Sirs” when the recipients are unknown.

Swonderful · 09/07/2025 14:06

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 12:03

OK, I'll bite. If your expertise is employment, as you say it is, kindly show us the evidence there is prejudice against women here.

Happy to..

And please don't go quoting the usual media troll of a difference in salary for sexes, as obviously there are multiple factors impacting on these such as qualifications, opting to work part time, taking leave of absence to raise kids, etc, etc, etc

You're very quick to dismiss part time work and childcare when in fact these are huge factors in women's career development and earning potential. As a society we assume women will take on the bulk of childcare responsibilities and therefore are the one's who are more likely to work part time or flexibly. What would actually make a huge difference to women's career development would be for more men to work part time or flexibly around childcare.

But you wanted me to share my expertise on this so here you are...

School & University
There are a number of studies that show children as young as 6 have 'gendered' perceptions when it comes to careers. When asked to draw certain professions children will draw a female nurse, teacher etc but a male doctor or scientist.

These perceptions continue into their teens and young adulthood and there are a couple of career development theories which suggests young people will sacrifice interests before choosing a career which goes against their 'sex type'. This means they will choose a stereotypical male or female career path even if their interests lie in a non-stereotypical route.

We also see evidence in subject choices with boys choosing subjects that are more likely to lead to degrees linked to high earning careers.

When university students are asked what they value/look for in a career women are more likely to prize future flexibility over international work and other things that help progress your career - there is some evidence of women choosing future flexibility in anticipation of needing it in the future (even if this is done subconsciously).

In the workplace
Women are more likely to work flexibly and part time which have an obvious impact on earnings and career progression.

Women are more likely to choose careers that pay less (back to gendered career choices).

Women are more likely to take on additional responsibility which is socially responsible rather than something that will support career development ( a particularly stark example of this is in academia with female academics more likely to work on committees that improve the experience of staff and students while male academics focus on research and publications and don't get me started on the impact of maternity lave on female academics!)

Worldwide 75% of unpaid labour is carried out by women and is the main reason many women choose to work part time.
As women have joined the labour market and increased their paid working hours, men haven’t increased their unpaid working hours meaning women have just increased their overall working hours

A higher proportion of women work in professional careers BUT they are still underrepresented in senior positions.

Impact of the pandemic
Women saw an increase in redundancies, unemployment and an increase in claiming unemployment benefits during the pandemic

More women were furloughed

Mothers and women from minority ethnic groups were particularly effected.

32% of women were responsible for childcare full time compared to 19% of men.

61% of working dad’s alternated childcare with partners compared to 34% of women.

In May 2020 78% of job losses were women and mothers were 47% more likely to lose their job.

Mothers were 1.5x more likely than fathers to have either lost or quit their jobs since the start of the first lockdown.

35% of mothers lost work or hours due to lack of childcare support.

Edited

I kind of agree but I think there's hidden sexism towards men here.

The husband worked part time for a while but came under immense pressure from his female boss to go back full time, while many women in his team worked part time.

He was sidelined in the team and they stopped considering him for promotion.

I suspect many men would like to drop to part time but its still seen as suspect for a man and a sign they're not committed.

JHound · 09/07/2025 14:06

User32459 · 09/07/2025 13:57

It's a man's world if you go to Suadi Arabia or Iran or somewhere.

Not in the liberal, feminised west.

Show quote history

😴

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 14:11

Swonderful · 09/07/2025 14:06

I kind of agree but I think there's hidden sexism towards men here.

The husband worked part time for a while but came under immense pressure from his female boss to go back full time, while many women in his team worked part time.

He was sidelined in the team and they stopped considering him for promotion.

I suspect many men would like to drop to part time but its still seen as suspect for a man and a sign they're not committed.

Show quote history

I agree. It needs to be seen as normal and acceptable for men to work part time or flexibly around childcare.
That would benefit us all.

RhaenysRocks · 09/07/2025 14:15

Swonderful · 09/07/2025 14:06

I kind of agree but I think there's hidden sexism towards men here.

The husband worked part time for a while but came under immense pressure from his female boss to go back full time, while many women in his team worked part time.

He was sidelined in the team and they stopped considering him for promotion.

I suspect many men would like to drop to part time but its still seen as suspect for a man and a sign they're not committed.

Show quote history

Do you think these men who would drop to part time would use that time to think of, arrange and facilitate all the child related stuff part time women do? Not just complete a list the woman gives him? I know a couple of men who are actually the primary parent but just in my experience, they are very much the exception. There are threads on here every week about women doing all the home stuff , even if they are working full time, never mind part. A man always pops up and says oh but I mow the lawn and do the bins and fix shelves. In other words the occasional tasks that seem heroic and manly, not the boring, humdrum slog stuff.

ThatDaringEagle · 09/07/2025 14:18

You're right MageQueen,

This is so funny, cos you are so totally wrong in your assertion.

"But we do know that medical research does NOT take women into account - ..."

This despite me reiterating the research on spending on medical research by sex further up the thread for the likes of you. So here it is again FYI:

"Each year, about 14% of the NIH’s research budget goes toward women’s health and about 6% goes toward men’s health. This amounts to about 3.5 – 4.5 billion dollars per year for women’s health and 1.5 – 2 billion dollars per year for men’s health.

The NIH invests about half as much money into men’s health than women’s health research..."

https://jameslnuzzo.substack.com/p/nih-funding-of-mens-and-womens-health

NIH Funding of Men's and Women's Health

Graph of the Week

https://jameslnuzzo.substack.com/p/nih-funding-of-mens-and-womens-health

MageQueen · 09/07/2025 14:37

Specific mens health or women's health issues - as we've all agreed, may well see more funding. Not least due to the impact of childbirth.

But in that link YOU provided, it says:

The majority of the NIH’s research budget is not sex-specific. Each year, about 80% of the NIH’s research budget goes toward projects that are neither male- nor female-specific. This non-sex-specific funding amounts to about 20-30 billion dollars per year.

And what we know is that in non-sex specific research, WOMEN are not taken into account - they are excluded from the research which is assumed to be non-gender specific when it isn't. Which is why heart disease is actually more lethal for women than for men, for example.

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 14:37

ThatDaringEagle · 09/07/2025 14:18

You're right MageQueen,

This is so funny, cos you are so totally wrong in your assertion.

"But we do know that medical research does NOT take women into account - ..."

This despite me reiterating the research on spending on medical research by sex further up the thread for the likes of you. So here it is again FYI:

"Each year, about 14% of the NIH’s research budget goes toward women’s health and about 6% goes toward men’s health. This amounts to about 3.5 – 4.5 billion dollars per year for women’s health and 1.5 – 2 billion dollars per year for men’s health.

The NIH invests about half as much money into men’s health than women’s health research..."

https://jameslnuzzo.substack.com/p/nih-funding-of-mens-and-womens-health

Edited

Depends what prompts you've given AI though doesn't it @ThatDaringEagle
Here's what I got when I specifically asked it to focus on medical research which omitted the needs of women.

Medical research has historically overlooked women's health in several significant ways, leading to gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Here are some key examples:
1. Exclusion from Clinical Trials
Until 1993, women were routinely excluded from clinical trials in the U.S. due to concerns about hormonal fluctuations and potential risks to pregnancies. This meant that most drugs and treatments were tested primarily on men, leading to:

Higher rates of adverse drug reactions in women—women experience such effects nearly twice as often as men
1
.
Drugs withdrawn due to gender-specific risks—8 out of 10 prescription drugs pulled from the U.S. market between 1997 and 2000 posed greater health risks to women, such as the appetite suppressant fenfluramine, which caused heart valve disease predominantly in women
2
.

2. Cardiovascular Disease Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet:

Women were long thought to have the same symptoms as men (e.g., chest pain), when in fact they often experience subtler signs like fatigue, nausea, or jaw pain.
It wasn’t until 1999 that the American Heart Association published a guide specifically addressing women’s heart health

3. Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune conditions like lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis disproportionately affect women (up to 78% of cases), yet:

Research into these diseases has historically focused on male biology.
This has delayed understanding of how these diseases manifest and progress differently in women

4. Menopause and Hormonal Health
Despite the fact that over 1 billion women globally will be in menopause by 2030:

Research and treatment options for menopause symptoms (e.g., hot flashes, sleep disturbances) remain limited.
Only about 25% of women receive treatment for menopausal symptoms, despite the significant impact on quality of life and productivity

5. Medical Devices
Devices like metal hip replacements were often tested on male anatomy, leading to:

A 29% higher failure rate in women due to anatomical differences

SerafinasGoose · 09/07/2025 14:50

AnneElliott · 09/07/2025 13:16

God yes the maleness just jumps off the page doesn’t it @HighLadyofTheNightCourt. Why do males like to come on Mumsnet to try and tell us how wrong we all are!! And norm ally end up getting their arse handed to them but still along they come!

I think they like it 😍

SerafinasGoose · 09/07/2025 14:58

DazedandConfused1234 · 09/07/2025 13:48

Aaaarghh! Again with this obsession. Women play women. Our competitions count too! What dies it matter whether we can beat men????

Show quote history

Some England fans are snarky because the women's team are currently doing better in international competition than the men.

That said, I witnessed a lot of men in a London pub getting very, very animated over the women's game. Not all men are misogynists!

And yes, adolescent boys could beat women because, as everyone with half a clue knows, their bodies are vastly different: larger, faster, stronger, and with a different muscle mass than women. They're not a direct comparator. This is the reason we have men's and women's sport. I can't believe it's necessary to point that out given recent ideological controversies which tend to prove that point.

Football is over-invested. I'd love to see more emphasis on sports like hockey (a men's and a women's game), lacrosse, and surfing which I currently have to follow on the www as it's never televised. The concept of a 'national game' is tediously repetitive and dull: especially since, on an international stage, the British are really not very good at it.

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:06

Men were playing football before women, that's why it is called 'football' and 'women's football.'

How many women are actually interested in watching football though? Let alone women's football. I don't even watch women's football and I used to play football myself!

DazedandConfused1234 · 09/07/2025 15:35

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:06

Men were playing football before women, that's why it is called 'football' and 'women's football.'

How many women are actually interested in watching football though? Let alone women's football. I don't even watch women's football and I used to play football myself!

The history of women's football is interesting and is set out here:

https://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/heritage/kicking-down-barriers

Clare Balding made a fascinating documentary on it a few years ago for Channel 4 - When Football Banned Women. Worth a watch if you can find it still.

It's not quite as simple as you make it out to be. Being banned for 50 years did not help its popularity. When I was at school in the 80s, for example, it was still fairly difficult to find a team, and noone played it at school, so it's not surprising it's taking a while to become as popular again as other sports played by women.

Kicking Down Barriers

The story of women's football in England

https://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/heritage/kicking-down-barriers

Boredlass · 09/07/2025 15:38

I’m glad they put Women’s football in the title so I don’t accidentally switch it on.

Boredlass · 09/07/2025 15:38

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:06

Men were playing football before women, that's why it is called 'football' and 'women's football.'

How many women are actually interested in watching football though? Let alone women's football. I don't even watch women's football and I used to play football myself!

I try to watch every game of football
incan. I absolutely love it

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:48

DazedandConfused1234 · 09/07/2025 15:35

The history of women's football is interesting and is set out here:

https://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/heritage/kicking-down-barriers

Clare Balding made a fascinating documentary on it a few years ago for Channel 4 - When Football Banned Women. Worth a watch if you can find it still.

It's not quite as simple as you make it out to be. Being banned for 50 years did not help its popularity. When I was at school in the 80s, for example, it was still fairly difficult to find a team, and noone played it at school, so it's not surprising it's taking a while to become as popular again as other sports played by women.

Show quote history

Yes, I am well aware of this.

'The women's game was effectively banned, with the FA at the time saying the game of football is "quite unsuitable for females" This was in the 20s.

Women's football has had enough time to be as popular as men's if it was going to be. (It won't ever be)

I played on the school team and for my local town as a teenager 20 years ago. I love watching football. I have watched women's football on the odd occasion over the years and I find it boring in comparison. The pace and physicality is not the same.

I always find the argument around women's football a strange one. Most women aren't interested in football, they don't watch it, they don't go to support the women's teams but are happy to bleat about the difference in wages and popularity. If women aren't watching it we can't expect men to. Men find it comparatively shit too.

ThatDaringEagle · 09/07/2025 15:54

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 14:37

Depends what prompts you've given AI though doesn't it @ThatDaringEagle
Here's what I got when I specifically asked it to focus on medical research which omitted the needs of women.

Medical research has historically overlooked women's health in several significant ways, leading to gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Here are some key examples:
1. Exclusion from Clinical Trials
Until 1993, women were routinely excluded from clinical trials in the U.S. due to concerns about hormonal fluctuations and potential risks to pregnancies. This meant that most drugs and treatments were tested primarily on men, leading to:

Higher rates of adverse drug reactions in women—women experience such effects nearly twice as often as men
1
.
Drugs withdrawn due to gender-specific risks—8 out of 10 prescription drugs pulled from the U.S. market between 1997 and 2000 posed greater health risks to women, such as the appetite suppressant fenfluramine, which caused heart valve disease predominantly in women
2
.

2. Cardiovascular Disease Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet:

Women were long thought to have the same symptoms as men (e.g., chest pain), when in fact they often experience subtler signs like fatigue, nausea, or jaw pain.
It wasn’t until 1999 that the American Heart Association published a guide specifically addressing women’s heart health

3. Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune conditions like lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis disproportionately affect women (up to 78% of cases), yet:

Research into these diseases has historically focused on male biology.
This has delayed understanding of how these diseases manifest and progress differently in women

4. Menopause and Hormonal Health
Despite the fact that over 1 billion women globally will be in menopause by 2030:

Research and treatment options for menopause symptoms (e.g., hot flashes, sleep disturbances) remain limited.
Only about 25% of women receive treatment for menopausal symptoms, despite the significant impact on quality of life and productivity

5. Medical Devices
Devices like metal hip replacements were often tested on male anatomy, leading to:

A 29% higher failure rate in women due to anatomical differences

Show quote history

Yes, but you specifically asked AI to focus on medical research which omitted the needs of women.

So surprise, surprise you got info on mostly historical info on specific medical research which had omitted the needs of women.

I wouldn't ask AI a biased question such as yours, as I know it would likely to generate a biased answer in response...

Fyi, I just asked for a breakdown of healthcare funding by sex and it threw up the response as follows:

'While there isn't a single, definitive percentage of the health budget specifically allocated to women versus men, it's generally understood that women tend to utilize a larger portion of healthcare resources due to a variety of factors including longer lifespans, specific health needs like maternity care, and higher rates of chronic conditions. However, research also indicates that men's health research and funding may be disproportionately lower than women's, despite certain conditions impacting men more severely'

NewbieYou · 09/07/2025 16:01

I mean you’re persuaded… you say gender. It’s not gender. It’s sex.

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 16:15

ThatDaringEagle · 09/07/2025 15:54

Yes, but you specifically asked AI to focus on medical research which omitted the needs of women.

So surprise, surprise you got info on mostly historical info on specific medical research which had omitted the needs of women.

I wouldn't ask AI a biased question such as yours, as I know it would likely to generate a biased answer in response...

Fyi, I just asked for a breakdown of healthcare funding by sex and it threw up the response as follows:

'While there isn't a single, definitive percentage of the health budget specifically allocated to women versus men, it's generally understood that women tend to utilize a larger portion of healthcare resources due to a variety of factors including longer lifespans, specific health needs like maternity care, and higher rates of chronic conditions. However, research also indicates that men's health research and funding may be disproportionately lower than women's, despite certain conditions impacting men more severely'

Show quote history

I asked my AI tool of choice that exact same question and got a different response.
There’s a lesson here somewhere 🤔

RhaenysRocks · 09/07/2025 16:16

@ThatDaringEagle with regard to the fund raising, research, awareness element..who do you think organises that? Women. Who pays more attention to their health and spends time checking for lumps, talking to their daughters, asking GPs for referrals to get things checked out? Men are absolutely free to do all any of the above but they choose not to. Governments will usually prioritise the most vocal and visible causes so if you want prostate cancer you need to have a higher profile....what are you waiting for?

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/07/2025 16:21

RhaenysRocks · 09/07/2025 16:16

@ThatDaringEagle with regard to the fund raising, research, awareness element..who do you think organises that? Women. Who pays more attention to their health and spends time checking for lumps, talking to their daughters, asking GPs for referrals to get things checked out? Men are absolutely free to do all any of the above but they choose not to. Governments will usually prioritise the most vocal and visible causes so if you want prostate cancer you need to have a higher profile....what are you waiting for?

Exactly.
Women do use just over half of medical funding but that is primarily explained by maternity care and the low uptake of screening by men.

The fundraising issue reminds me of men complaining that there events for international women’s day but not international men’s day. Well bloody organise something then!!

User32459 · 09/07/2025 21:11

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:48

Yes, I am well aware of this.

'The women's game was effectively banned, with the FA at the time saying the game of football is "quite unsuitable for females" This was in the 20s.

Women's football has had enough time to be as popular as men's if it was going to be. (It won't ever be)

I played on the school team and for my local town as a teenager 20 years ago. I love watching football. I have watched women's football on the odd occasion over the years and I find it boring in comparison. The pace and physicality is not the same.

I always find the argument around women's football a strange one. Most women aren't interested in football, they don't watch it, they don't go to support the women's teams but are happy to bleat about the difference in wages and popularity. If women aren't watching it we can't expect men to. Men find it comparatively shit too.

Edited

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It's baffling why it's pushed so much in the last few years. Most women aren't interested in women's football, most men aren't interested in women's football.

There's other sports that would be more popular given half the publicity and resources thrown at it as women's football has recently.

Namechangetry · 09/07/2025 21:47

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:06

Men were playing football before women, that's why it is called 'football' and 'women's football.'

How many women are actually interested in watching football though? Let alone women's football. I don't even watch women's football and I used to play football myself!

By that logic we should still have police constables and woman police constables. Or doctors and lady doctors.

DazedandConfused1234 · 09/07/2025 22:24

GreenGully · 09/07/2025 15:48

Yes, I am well aware of this.

'The women's game was effectively banned, with the FA at the time saying the game of football is "quite unsuitable for females" This was in the 20s.

Women's football has had enough time to be as popular as men's if it was going to be. (It won't ever be)

I played on the school team and for my local town as a teenager 20 years ago. I love watching football. I have watched women's football on the odd occasion over the years and I find it boring in comparison. The pace and physicality is not the same.

I always find the argument around women's football a strange one. Most women aren't interested in football, they don't watch it, they don't go to support the women's teams but are happy to bleat about the difference in wages and popularity. If women aren't watching it we can't expect men to. Men find it comparatively shit too.

Edited

Show quote history

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean noone does though. I agree that it will never be as popular as the men's game because that is faster and more physical, at least at elite level.

That said, the French made an interesting ad in the last World Cup (I think) where they superimposed men's bodies over women plying football. When people thought they were watching men they didn't notice the difference. So maybe some of the perceived difference is because of prejudice. And by the way, I am not saying women will ever be able to beat men or boys. They probably won't, and neither should they have to.

And actually, elite women's football does draw some decent crowds. I have been to watch Chelsea several times with friends and our children who are Chelsea fans, both at Stamford Bridge and in the FA Cup at Wembley. The kids enjoy it just as much and the atmosphere is way more relaxed and friendly. And crucially, it's affordable, so plenty of other families do the same.

Anyway, as some people have pointed out already, the emphasis on football in this country is disproportionate to any other sport, and that is a shame. Children might be encouraged to try a much wider variety of sports if they were able to see them being played occasionally.