Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Sexist Fundraising Dinner at School

64 replies

SexistDinner · 12/02/2010 14:30

My DC's school is holding a fundraising dinner ... for men only.

They are having several guest speakers (good ones who I would have loved to have seen/heard). They sent the letter to me, even though I'm a woman and can't go. S'rubbish isn't it?

AIBU to think it's a bit 1950s?

OP posts:

MadamDeathstare · 12/02/2010 20:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

larks35 · 12/02/2010 20:10

Why not get a whole troupe of other mums all in fake beards and the like to go along, like in Life of Brian - "Are there any women here?" ... you get my drift...

thedollyridesout · 12/02/2010 20:15

I've recently been to a charity "Pink" evening in aid of breastcancer awareness (also at a private school) that was girls/ladies only. It was great fun. We all wore ridiculous dresses/feather boas etc and danced like loonies. I don't see the harm in single sex events occasionally.

thedollyridesout · 12/02/2010 20:16

Meant to add, it was great to not even have to think about getting a babysitter as OH was at home.

zipzap · 12/02/2010 21:19

I would ask them to run the same event as a ladies event with the same speakers, say that you would love to see them and you're sure that they will understand why... Or point out that if they want to have a men only event, they should have one that only men want to go to, not one with excellent speakers that all their old boys and girls want to go to. And point out that pamper evenings or such are really not the same - more akin to organising a quick drink in a pub, not a 'main event'.

My sixth form had been boys only then girls were allowed - they were still counted as Old Boys. Staff - male or female - were honorary Old Boys. might be a line worth trying?

Might be worth asking some awkward questions about how they had taught you to be equal and how your education hasn't equipped you to understand why you are being discriminated against...

Original poster

SexistDinner · 12/02/2010 21:26

I'd like to make it perfectly clear, these sexist bastards had nothing to do with my education. I was educated by the state. At a mixed Grammar.

OP posts:

saultanpepper · 12/02/2010 23:00

You send your son to a school that only admits boys to years 7-11 and then complain when the sexist bastards only admit their fathers to a dinner?

OK, so they admit girls to the sixth form. By that analogy you'll be welcome to the coffee and mints. Jeez.

Build a bridge, get over it. Quit whining about this event and get them to organise a similar event for women only, with relevant speakers (Sahar Hashemi, Karren Brady, Dame (soon to be Baroness) Tanni-Grey Thompson...).

It may come as a shock to some on this forum but men and women are, in fact, different. We act differently, we think differently. The sooner we all learn to accept this, that life would be stultifyingly boring if we were all the same, and to appreciate the differences rather than see them as problems, the better off we'll all be.

zipzap · 12/02/2010 23:58

oops. read that too quickly and thought it was your education. sorry.

but I guess the fundamental point still holds and is worth asking if they will rerun the same evening for the ladies...

I know men and women are different sp but sometimes there are some speakers who are male who are good speakers that I would like to listen to. As well as listen to the women you ahve suggested - and I'm sure my dh would love to listen to them too.

twoistwiceasfun · 13/02/2010 08:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YoureGorgeous · 13/02/2010 08:47

thedollyridesout · 13/02/2010 08:52

It wasn't actually a snake.

Bonsoir · 13/02/2010 09:02

It makes the school look old fashioned/behind the times. Is that the sort of PR the school wants?

PotPourri · 13/02/2010 09:15

Doesn't bother me. I had a ladies night to raise money when I was raising for ChildLine. As long as there is lots of variety over time, I think taking offence at a single sex event is a bit ott.

YoureGorgeous · 13/02/2010 09:16

id just buy a ticket and go

wtf are they goign to do? escourt you off the premises

Flip

1 2 3