Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Culture, Equality, Men, Sexism, Women
Remember a few weeks ago I wrote about the lack of female CSO’s … at least in comparison to male … and the need to fight against it by over-compensating for it?
Well, while my point of view was generally well received, I did cop some flack for it – unsurprisingly from men – and yet when you see the shit kids get exposed to from a young age, I wonder how they can feel the current situation is alright?
More so, I wonder how they can feel it’s fine if they’re parents to women?
Above are 2 pictures from an airline ‘duty free’ magazine.
Boys get to dream of being pilots.
Women get to dream of being air hostesses.
How many parents want their kids aspirations to be limited by their gender?
Of course there’s nothing wrong with being a member of the cabin crew – but that is about personal interests not gender limitations – and the only way this situation will change is if we remove the barriers and limitations placed on over 50% of the population and make space and opportunity for them to fulfill their potential.
Not – as I said in my original post – because it will make the world ‘fairer’ or even more ‘equal’ [though they both good reasons to do it], but because by enabling the potential of women, we all will experience the benefits of the way they see the World … a way that is often built on being better for everyone rather than just themselves.
Which, let’s be honest, is the definition of true leadership.
But there’s another reason for doing this.
It will make men better.
There is a lot to be said for being challenged by someone who expresses their talent in different ways to you.
Years ago – 2006, to be precise – I wrote about how the creative tension in the band The Who, pushed them to demand more from the music they were creating – as well as the people they were creating it with. Some of this was because of their occasional hatred for eachother, specifically Townsend and Entwistle, and some of it was because the band was so talented they would take someones musical ideas to ‘places’ they never imagined and they didn’t want to get left behind.
In other words, the tension pushed them higher … and given for so long women have had to play the support act to men – not just in companies but, as the pictures above show, in kids fashion – I believe it would be far more than just women winning if companies made more space for them to be the headline act.
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You are really serious about this issue aren’t you? Good on you Rob.
Comment by DH May 2, 2018 @ 6:23 amhe better be, he has my daughter to fight for.
Comment by andy@cynic May 2, 2018 @ 6:35 amWhat abuse did you get? Good job you’ve had 10 years of training for handling it on here.
Comment by DH May 2, 2018 @ 6:24 amid send him a big fucking bill for all my help but the wanker wont pay it.
Comment by andy@cynic May 2, 2018 @ 6:34 amCorrect.
Comment by Rob May 2, 2018 @ 7:49 amare you saying some men gave you shit about your post because they dont like you, dont like what youre doing or dont think women face any shit? im good with the first one but the other two require some heads to be fucking kicked in.
Comment by andy@cynic May 2, 2018 @ 6:33 amOh the shit I copped was amazing … from men saying the issue I was raising just wasn’t true [which led to an amazing ‘discussion’ where this individual was digging a bigger hole with every comment] to some saying I’m an embarrassment to men [to which I replied I was but not for the issue they thought I was embarrassing them on]
Mind-blowing.
Comment by Rob May 2, 2018 @ 7:53 amfucking wankers. probably from nottingham.
Comment by andy@cynic May 2, 2018 @ 9:15 amThank you Robert.
Comment by Mary Bryant May 2, 2018 @ 7:09 amThis is not a case of me jumping on the bandwagon, I’ve always felt this way and tried to do things about it. But now the issue is much bigger news, I’m even more aware of the prejudice facing women and that makes me angry so god knows how you feel with your 3 wonderful daughters.
Comment by Rob May 2, 2018 @ 7:49 amI don’t want to be a pilot, I want to be an astronaut. So did these women.
Comment by Jemma King May 2, 2018 @ 7:34 amhttp://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/netflix-mercury-13-trailer-women-space-1201950570/amp/
I’ve watched that … it’s an amazing show about an incredible wrong driven by ego and fear. Those women were/are epic.
Comment by Rob May 2, 2018 @ 7:48 amWell said Robert.
Some would claim this is unconscious bias in action. I disagree. It is lazy stereotyping, the type I would not want for any child.
Comment by Lee Hill May 2, 2018 @ 10:52 amHang on, you were given shit for that post? You’re fucking kidding me?
Comment by Marcus May 4, 2018 @ 9:14 amI like the pilot better than hostess, do they have that in pink?
Comment by summeriscomingmodel June 6, 2018 @ 4:34 pm[…] from the simple issue of access, the reality is most schools and kids companies focus on structure, stereotypes and grades because that is what most parents – and Governments – seem to value most of all, so for […]
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