When did putting husbands down become a national sport?

[Kosenrufugirl]

I was listening to a mainstream radio station the other day when the DJ publicly reciting a mistake her husband had made recently. She invited other women to join in and a short while later she read out their stories too. I am just wondering... I wouldn't behave like this to a work colleague no matter how much I might be annoyed with their behaviour. I would most certainly not be publicly humuliated like this by anyone without taking it up to the Line Manager. It's disturbing me why this behaviour seems to be acceptable towards husbands and partners. What do others think?

@JadziaD
So you made up the bit about men calling women, 'wifey' I have never seen a man doing an annoying little head tilt. Lots of posts on here about women doing it though. Also as you note this is mainly a site used by women. Bound to be women complaining about men.
Using hyperbolic terms like 'wifey' lessens your credibility. It is similar to the Feminist Board's love of the term 'wimmin'. Never seen it used elsewhere though.

@Thecompleteposter It's kind of mind blowing that this is such a huge issue for you. Feel free to ignore my posts and nitpick on a silly little point to try and deny the fact that lots of men choose to be bad at something and then their female partners take on that task instead. And lots of men do it in a very knowing way with a nod and a wink (no, not necessarily an ACTUAL NOD AND WINK that you could film on camera. I assume most people would know what I mean by this but you seem to be very very literal, so I'm just clarifying it for you).

If you've never seen this happen, brilliant of you. You are either surrounded by all the really good men. Or you're blind. Either way, I'm sure you're much happier as a result.

Do feel free to provide links to examples of men calling women 'wifey' and men doing little head tilts. I have never seen it on here or in real life. I am afraid I think you are using hyperbole to make a point which has back fired because it is simply not true.
I am not blind as you suggest.

@Thecompleteposter there are plenty of people who make fun of themselves and compliment their partner for taking care of them. However, I don't think it actually means they don't know how to boil an egg, just that they are happy someone cooks for them and are appreciative of it

PP is using light hyperbole and poetic licence to illistrate her point. As are you when you refer to a point 'back firing'. This is a discussion forum not a court of law, and it would be a dry old business if we could never speak in any way but the literal. Her point is that she has witnessed men delighting in their own domestic ineptitude. The fact they didn't really say 'wifey' is neither here nor there. I'd be surprised if many people took that as PPs key message.

@5128gap, my impression is that is it the most sexist countries (including the UK) where the man will claim ineptitude but also where it is strongly taboo for women to admit they are not good domestically I thing we see this in MN, where apparently almost every poster is very good domestically.

Wtf? The poor girl? This is basic theory test stuff, possibly even part of the questions at the start of the manual test. If you have a driving licence you know how to put air in the tyres.
I'm starting to think you are just sexist in favour of men.

That's it op you've lost it

You are suggesting you send this thread to the radio station you haven't told us about so we haven't even listened to, as feedback, about a show purely based on your op because we can't be allowed to know her name!?

In order for them to send it to their presenter so she can reflect on her inappropriate behaviour in your eyes?

Are you OK?!

My husband has me as wifey in his phone. And he winks at people.

I've told him DO NOT DO THAT because he works with teenagers. He totally does not understand and is not winking sexually so I remind him, no winking. It does not always mean friendship or trust.

Total side note there triggered by wifey!

My mother was in charge of our family. My grandmother in charge of hers. My aunt in charge of hers. I can't think of a family I know well, now or in the past, where the woman doesn't wear the trousers.

Perhaps I'm just lucky I come from a tradition of strong women.

Finally a post on MN that gives the great light to abusing women. Fantastic let's all take the piss out of women. It's been going on for centuries and there's no need for it to stop.

Is this a joke?
“Wearing the trousers” plays directly into misogynistic stereotypes.

When people refer to a power imbalance between the sexes, they’re not referring to who is in “charge” of a family, whatever the fuck that means? Managing the household mental and physical load, I imagine.

Men have been in power for centuries.

I think you're being ridiculous and that women know their husbands better than you do. If they're criticizing them for things like that then most likely there is some kind of pattern of not listening or 'weaponised incompetence'.

I also think it's irrelevant what you'd do if a colleague at work did it because that's a completely different relationship.

I also think that most people have self awareness and would know if they're giving too many or unclear instructions so they wouldn't need to approach it from a maybe I caused the confusion perspective.

I am curious to know if you have any suggestions on how to change the power dynamic between men and women yourself?

Why are you looking at this behaviour in isolation? Yes it's common for women to ridicule husbands for not being able to do x, y and z. The same women are often living in an environment where they get accused of nagging if they ask a man to complete a task he said he was going to do loads of times, that she shouldn't have to ask him to do in the first place et. You're criticizing women for a reaction to their husbands actions.

@Kosenrufugirl
Or living in an environment where if a man does anything around the house or with the kids she has to hear "I washed the dishes FOR YOU". "I got the kids ready for bed FOR YOU".
Acting like he's doing her a favour.

The reaction of openly criticising husbands is on the back of a lot of infuriating behaviour that wives are subjected to.

I have the impression (perhaps wrongly) that MN has become more pro-male in the last ten years or so.

I take the piss out of my husband gently about things like man flu, inability to multi-task etc. It’s very much tongue in cheek and he joins in (sometimes he even starts it). Equally he sometimes pretends he thinks I can’t drive or take the bins out. It’s all done with a hefty dose of irony in our case.