To think most men wouldn’t survive a year living the life of an average woman?

[ThatRealLimeBee]

The daily grind of sexism, safety worries, juggling expectations, emotional labour… Most men have no idea. AIBU to think they’d crumble under the load if they had to swap lives with us for a year?

If men had periods they'd have five days a month off sick AAND spend those days in bed expecting to be cossetted.

You clearly don't grasp that independent women who want to be treated equally disapprove if fawning house wives or the maiden in distress types become it makes women as a sex class look stupid and incapable and makes the fight to be seen as equals so much harder.

Feeding into the stereotypes of damsels in distress and needing a man to pay the bills and belonging in the kitchen make it harder for other women to be taken seriously and break free of those stereotypes.

My life is bloody wonderful, I am not jealous of a housewife, I did it for a while while on maternity leave and it's bloody boring and unfulfilling. I have an adventurous personality I hate being cooped up inside. I also take pride in knowing I earned everything I have and it's mine and mine alone. I resent women letting the side down when we're working so hard to break free of the stereotypes and expectations put on women.

If you can't see that, I can't help you.

Lol. I'm not trying to force women to act in any way.

I'm simply sharing my belief that if women won't equality they won't find it in the kitchen.

I can't see that because it's not my experience.

Housewives don't have any impact on my professional career, but then I don't need excuses or blame stereotypes or play the victim game to go further in my career. I am being taken seriously in my own right, my abilities have never been impacted by other women decisions and life choices. Interesting that you think yours is? It might say more about you as a person than you think.

needing a man to pay the bills is such a ridiculous and reductive way to describe a family situation. Trying to look down at women who prefers to spend time with their family is pathetic.

Women strong enough to live their life without feeling oppressed or ridiculed by narrow-minded people trying to push their own expectations are not the one letting the side down, people like you are.

As far as I am concerned, anyone trying to tell me and my sisters than we should live a certain way because "we are female" can piss off. Frankly, if someone decide not to work a day in their life and their partner is happy to work and take care of the financial aspects? Well good for them.

If everyone wanted to be a "high profile high achieving career woman/man" bollocks, then there would be no one to mind my kids when I am at work for a start .

t's bloody boring and unfulfilling.
I pity you if you can't find anything interesting to do in your life and need someone to take your hand to take you outside 😂. Your poor child cooped inside because his mum couldn't manage alone, that is sad.

the day we have equality is when man, or woman, can stay at home without people with dated views claiming it's an inferior situation.

It's even worst when they are children involved, and some narrow minded people try to claim that everybody should use childcare and jump straight back to work just because.

You would think in 2025 we've gone past that stage, but sadly some are still stuck in the past.

You don’t get to dictate to women that they are ‘letting the side down.’ Women are far from being all the same. Plenty of women are happiest at home, especially if they have children. You are free to do what you want here in the UK- you should be thanking those of us who are completely disinterested in the modern workplace freeing up more jobs and opportunities for you! Take them! Take some responsibility for you own life- you have the freedom to succeed here in the UK. Nobody is stopping you.

The dated views are those who are happy for their husbands to rule their roost while they clean it all day.

That’s the history that actually happened.

How can you genuinely not see it as backwards.

In the “good old days” women couldn’t;

• Have access to contraception
• Take paid maternity leave
• Apply for loans or credit in their own names
• Pay their own taxes (if they did work)
• Couldn’t be raped by their husband, as marital rape wasn’t outlawed
• Access any form of women’s refuge

They could however tidy round the house and bake. So that’s good. Let’s go back to then.

Apparently, some women don’t want equality.

I don’t value people as equal based on if they work. In fact, I am highly unimpressed by materialism and power-hungry people who don’t use their power for good. Every human being has inherent value, from a homeless person on the street to royalty. I don’t look down my nose at people dependent on their income.

I am mature enough to realise that people contribute in many, many ways. How many unpaid FT carers of spouses and/or the elderly do you know? How many full-time carers of seriously ill children? How many unpaid volunteers do you know who do really heavy duty stuff emotionally like those manning the phones 24/7 at the Samaritans? I would hate to live in a society where people won’t do anything unless they are paid. It is utterly soulless.

Wtf are you on about? Why does me hating being stuck inside translate to my daughter, not son btw being cooped inside? Why does wanting to use my education and live beyond house work mean I can't manage alone? Fuck the housework! We're out riding our horses and climbing mountains and going on holiday afforded by my career and ambition to actually live outside the kitchen! You're clearly confused, and very offended 😂

There is a whole world of opportunities out there, I would be very sad if my daughter wasted them by choosing to clean instead.

For the last time, expecting adults to be independent is not oppression.

What are you on about take responsibility for my own life?

I am responsible for my own life. And I am very successful. Nobody has stopped me thank you very much.

Equal doesn’t mean exactly the same all the time. Every human being has inherent value and worth. I value the homeless, the sick, children, the elderly, people from all faiths and countries round the world. There is far, far more to every individual than their job title. Try asking them some more interesting questions.

Absolutely no need to concern yourself with how other choose and prefer to lead their lives then.

I mean, that’s all really great, but we’re talking about 1950’s housewives in 2025, and not about whether we respect the elderly.

Equal doesn’t mean less than. Women in the time you claim was better, were less than.

You know it's really funny. If someone lives off the state because they just don't fancy working people call them a scrounger and tell them they should get a job and look after themselves, but if a woman wants to live off a man because she just fancies staying at home apparently that's completely different and fine. I don't see the difference personally.

There is actually nobody more independent than a full-time mother who in this day and age of constant outsourcing is actually capable of caring for her own children 24/7 without any help from nurseries, childminders, cleaners, gardeners, holiday clubs or schools, who rolls up her sleeves and gets on with it without any whinging! Now that’s called being independent!!!

The man pays tax on behalf of his family for a start, in some households nobody works or pays any tax. However, I actually don’t currently judge anyone on benefits, as plenty who work are priced out of housing, caring for their own children at home, etc. I applaud anyone who is on benefits so they can hands on care for any of their own family members rather than outsourcing them to institutions.

Cool - now pay for the roof over those children’s heads, instead of outsourcing that.

Bit it’s ok to outsource the cost of that ‘hands on care’ to the tax payer via benefits. Nah.

I don’t agree that women in the past were ‘less than’, how utterly misogynistic. They were excellent wives, mothers, grandmothers, friends and members of their wider communities. They were certainly not seen as ‘less than’ but were revered and celebrated.

This discussion is a little silly really. I think most men would cope fine if made to live as a woman for a year. I don't think my periods are that much of a big deal tbh. Childbirth might scare a few but if they only have a year as a woman they don't have much time to get busy 😂.

That said I don't think most of us posting would last a year if we were made to live in Afghanistan and men likely wouldn't last a year if made to live in Russia or Ukraine and were forced to fight.

No different to the government dishing out free hours of childcare. That needs to stop. Parents need to step up and look after their own children at home, or pay for it themselves. I look after my own and save the government a fortune doing it! Oh and my DH doesn’t agree with his tax money funding other family’s free childcare. Reform will put a stop to all of this craziness soon though, thank goodness!!!

Are you mad? I think you’re mad.

Women were seen as less than, in your imaginary wonderful past, by men.

Who incase you missed my last post, could still legally rape them provided they were married.

All well good being a valued member of the community while your husband exerts his household authority over you.

Revered and celebrated!? Don't be ridiculous they were oppressed!!

That's why we needed a bloody women's rights movement!! They had none!!

That’s the Yin and Yang of a traditional set up, one focuses on the finances and one on the heart of the home. Zero outsourcing needed by either!