Teenage girls should be prepared not to expect it all

[BecauseImWorthIt]

here

This has made me really angry.

Where is the education for boys? Why are our future citizens (female only) being told that babies/childcare are their responsibility only, whereas their male counterparts can, clearly, expect to have it all?

I went to a GDST school - My Head said exactly all this stuff in the 80s (she had no children) " You are the women of the future....careers blardy blar" Its all a lie. Women will end up having the raw deal in the workplace as ultimately women give birth and are generally left holding the baby so to speak.

Today I am a teacher in a girls school and wish all the girls luck with their educational choices of the future (It is a very academic selective school).However they will be the ones having babies and will ultimately be the ones juggling. I have to say I agree with the realism of Ms Berry. Depressing though it is.....

Sooo, we haven't made progress since the 80s? We don't now have better maternity leave, pay, family care time, flexible working arrangements, protection from discrimination etc? I would say your headmistress (based on what you've given us of her speech!) told no lies.
No-one should be telling young people that basically, they should put up with sitting at the back of the bus.

Its just the way it is put to you in school - that everything will fall into place if you work hard at school etc etc..that life will be rosy if you get all your quals - it ain't necessarily so.... Babies have a habit of slowing it all down and this is not the mantra that I heard once in all my time at the GDST school i went to and indeed at the school i teach in now.

I too remember growing up with the mantra that all will fall into place providing you work hard. Which of course leaves many women feeling like dismal failures who haven't worked hard enough if things don't fall into place, and they don't simultaneously have a glittering career, loving husband, gorgeous children, beautiful house etc. Is this really what we want?

"No-one should be telling young people that basically, they should put up with sitting at the back of the bus."

I don't agree that that was the thrust of the message at all.

a colleague of mine has just pointed out that if you're a woman on welfare, you're getting exactly the opposite message to this from the government:

e.g., just because you have children don't ever expect not to work.

So it is looking like one set of rules for the middle class (e.g. you selfish bitches, you can't have it all) and another for the working class (selfish bitches, get back to work and stop expecting any support to bring up your kids...)

Women can't win either way. The levels of selflessness and responsibility that seem to be required for us are awfully hard goalposts to aim for, particularly when they keep on moving.

It's not a different message about work for different social classes, but for different economic circumstances. Which makes sense

Social classes are somewhat linked to economic circumstances, don't you think?!
My bus comment referred to the message I'm getting from posters here, rather than the original speech Bonsoir.