International Women's Day: how can we make the world more equal?

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello campers,

As lots of you will already know, Tuesday March 8 is International Women's Day. MNHQ has been working with the EQUALS coalition this year, and they've asked us to ask you to suggest small ways in which you think we could all work to make men and women more equal, whether locally, nationally or globally.

Examples would be: go and support your local woman's football team; write to a television station to ask why women presenters are 20 years younger than their male counterparts; or make a donation to an organisation that supports women in developing countries. (If you're feeling extrovert, you could also consider organising an EQUALS soul train in your area this coming Friday.)

Your contributions might end up on the EQUALS blog.

Thanks,

MNHQ x

When we stop using Mrs and Miss. Why should it be anyone's business whether we are 'available' or not.

and what other posters have said about rape, prostitution and trafficking.

Following on from the women-on-TV-panels, I'll be pleased when films with women as the main characters, e.g. Thelma and Louise, are not described as Chick Flicks, while films with men as the main characters are described as, well, films... . I can't stand it when women only appear as wife/girlfriend (after about 20 min of Ocean's Eleven I started to lose the will to live).

Oh and when mothers in films look like real mothers - a few examples of ridiculously young ones here.

Oh I am with you there SarfEasticated. A policeman nearly had kittens when he saw Ms on my driving license. He gave me some bull about Ms meaning divorced or widowed, I'm pretty sure he was just fishing the nosey bugger!

When the word "girl" is not used as a term of derision, as in

"stop being such a girl"

when we no longer have a pay gap
www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/08/international-womens-day-pay-gap

Applause, teahouse, and many others

-when there's an outcry if men like George Clooney speaks about all the 'chicks' that he's 'f*cked'. What an arse.

-when forms stop asking my maiden name

oh yes jen, i heard a teacher this week telling a load of of boys to stop being women

they were laggiing behind in pe

carriedababi - at least he told them to stop being women, we have moved on that far! I can still remember our coach trying to inspire a group of us women rugby players by shouting: "You're a load of girls!"

when both men and women can become pregnant and give birth.

well i think he actually said something like come on you bunch of old women...

SarfEasticated and SallyBrownEyes - yeah, we will know we've got equality when coppers aren't trying to chat us up while supposedly providing us with a public service.
Try being 'Dr' - one telesalesperson who could only offer me Mrs or Miss instead suggested I put 'Mr' on my form! But at least when they ring up and ask for Mr DP and I say he is at work, and they say Are you Mrs DP? and I say No I am Dr. myself, they get off the line quickly. Clearly Dr.s do not buy fitted kitchens or insurance over the phone.

Carriedababi - ah, there was an age issue, of course! You old women. We rarely get to just be women. (Did you see the AIBU thread about being called a girl a couple of days ago? Some good posts in there.)

oh i'd love to be called dr.

oh i didn't see that.

yes we tend to get called silly girls, then old women

Actually I do love it. I do not look at all like anyone's idea of a 'Dr', and the expression on people's faces when they ask: Is that Miss or Mrs, is hilarious.

One day I was out lingerie shopping, and when the assistant took mine and my friend's details down, appropriately asking: Ms, Miss or Mrs, I was able to say Dr and my friend was able to say: Professor!
Maybe we will have equality when that isn't funny any more!

When a BBCnews.com article on a day in the life of a carer is called 'A woman's daily work' and not the sacchariney 'A mother's love'.

Agree with all so far, plus a small bugbear of mine:

• when a marriage certificate does not require the new spouses to enter their fathers' names and occupations but instead asks only for a parents' name and occupation

Xenia, I rarely share your views... but you made me think this time

• when woman aren't mentioned as if we are a minority group rather than at least 50% of the population

• when a weekend away for a woman doesn't include the need to prep all meals, arrange all activities, arrange all childcare, accept that the house will be a tip whilst a man's weekend away involves just walking out the door.

• when they find a new name for part-time working

• when you say 'I am a mother' and you are treated with the same respect as when you say 'I am a professional'

• when employers don't know whether it is a female of a certain age or a male who is going to take leave to raise children.

• when the definition of success isn't becoming a CEO of a company or earning large sums of cash.

I have a foreign surname too which I clearly wasn't born with, I think this fuelled his curiousity a tad

I would definitely enjoy having the use of Dr as my title!

When you can open a year 7 history textbook and not have to sift through pages and pages on battles and weapons before finding one puny page at the back on what women did.

When boys watch movies with a girl as the main character.

When men don't say things like "you women wanted equality, and now you don't like it". Heard it on the radio and it really annoyed me. We don't have it yet for a start. Secondly, we need it and should have it. It is not a whim or a fad.
Agree with Xenia though. Being the higher earner as a woman can lead more easily to a equal household.

I think we also don't help ourselves by buying mags that have lots of 'overweight-celebrity bikini shots' specials. Maybe we should just try to be kinder to each other, and back other women up.

I also think it's important not stoop to the anti-men sexism that you hear all the time, eg "man-flu", "my husband's so useless...".

.

sorry! on a roll here..

When a group of women can have a disagreement without it being called a "catfight".

When such an argument in the boardroom (ie. the Apprentice) doesn't lead to accusations that women can't be business leaders whilst the Venezuelan parliament can dissolve into fisticuffs without anyone advancing the similar theory that men can't be politicians!

Not always itsalarf my Dsis is a higher earner and all it means is that she has to big him up to protect his ego and still does lion's share of 'women's' work!