How to eliminate the patriarchy?

[BelleCurve]

Whilst researching the Institute of Directors recently I came across this fantastic piece of double-think on their website commenting on the gender pay gap -

"the Government should have accepted the hard evidence which shows that influences and choices made by women at the pre-employment stage are what generally lead to average gender pay differences"

It is just so sexist and privileged that it took my breath away for a moment.

Also, the Arab revolutions where it seems that one patriarchal system is being replaced by a potentially worse (for women) one has made me realise that these guys are never going to give up easily.

I have had enough of this system and need to focus my energies into solutions

This is a genuine question - how can we overcome, remove, eliminate the patriarchy?

PS - if after the other thread on this topic, you still don't "get" the patriarchy or don't see the problem, feel free not to contribute here.

I think it's a bit telling that people immediately think of Thatcher and Sarah Palin. Not all women politicians are like them, are they. I'm no tory but some of the tory women who spoke in the rape defendant anonymity debate were excellent. And we have some right wing feminists here too, like SWC and claig.

I'm a lifelong leftie from a long line of lefties but fucking hell, my eyes have been opened about how anti-woman some leftie men can be. Look at the reaction by the left to the Assange case ffs.

oh crap, forgot to namechange

I'm pretty sure that they won't be that interested...but surely she must have an opinion either way?

No one saw you, resister...

So I'll be voting for women on May 5th :)
I decided I'd vote by gender unless there were no female representatives for parties I can tolerate - for me, that gave prorities of:

1. Not extremely right-wing
2. Female
3. Moderately left

So the Greens and Labour are getting my vote; I've never voted Green before, so their prepronderance of female candidates got them a new vote!

Clearly this wouldn't work for anyone whose party politics override their gender politics, but I thought it worth a mention in case any other women might consider it.

Interesting idea garlicbutter. If AV comes in I would definitely consider this aspect for my second & third choices. So 1 to party of my choice, 2 and 3 to parties who I can tolerate with preference to those fielding women.

Like it :)

I bet more women could come up with personal voting strategies to incoporate gender-based voting. I would love to see the major parties forced into a position where they had to field armies of capable women candidates!

Someone's going to come along in a minute and tell us that we are giving feminism a bad name, you know :)

if you can think of a feminist activity that doesn't get feminism a bad name, you get a Mars bar.

I think anything done whilst wearing a floral apron gets a free pass, Sybil.

Tunisia's new constitution demands all parties field equal numbers of men & women; in this country, Green party had gender parity leadership; so does Scottish Socialist party, Labour is the only 'big' party to make a specific attempt to increase no. of women candidates, but are now backing slow cuts. Don't see the argument for voting for women who support anti-woman policies eg cutting Sure Start, reducing free childcare, limiting equal opps legislation etc; it's just tokenism to promote one woman's political career at the expense of every other woman. But Sybil you are so right!

Helpful post, Alice, thank you.

I've been reconsidering my attitudes to various powerful women lately. While I'm an out-and-out political Thatcher hater, I've now decided she deserves credits for being the first woman PM and for doing it along with having children and a marriage. Whilst I could write a dissertation on how she did it badly, the point I had to reconsider is that she did it and was a woman.

In my revised mindset, I feel the gender of the woman is equally important as her politics. If we apply the usual criteria to our selection of leaders (ie, are gender neutral), we're assuming the playing field is level. And it isn't.

It's taken me 56 years to reach this conclusion and, as I say, it's a fresh departure for me - incidentally, I'll also be voting for over-50s - so I'm very much up for discussion, if it'll help me hone my thinking :)

Ta, Garlic!

Just dipping into this and what an interesting idea! Reading it backwards and was starting to splutter (have quite strong political views) when saw the points about assange and hideous sexism from lefties and of course that is right. And about how some of the tory women made great speeches about rape anonimity. And it is a very good point. Maybe what we do really need is women - any women? Just to get the numbers up...

I can feel myself starting to splutter again even as I write it but it's just a different sort of tactical voting? Maybe...

I think you should leave it up to that dodgy 'Y' chromosome.

Interesting contribution, Thomas

When I put this tactical voting idea forward earlier, people said "But all the menz will vote on gender, then, and men will be elected" ... missing the point that this is what happens at present.

Anyway, I'm voting tactically for women over 50. And I hope more women will vote for women.

Politics is not gender-neutral in this country. We can alter the balance by using the democratic vote our predecessors wisely fought for.

It's a plan GB

Eh, that's you and me then, SQ, party politics permitting
Are we feeling like a little acorn ... ?

You do realise that I will have to vote for the hated party for my MP now? Not that it makes any odds - super safe seat and she has been there for years. DH votes for her anyway... So can I sort of have his vote as mine and I can vote for a party I like?

No I will do it, I really will. Even though I am a member of a political party...

No I'm going for it.

Here, have a medal

I'm impressed!

Ooh thanks