CALLING ALL WOMEN

alice wrote:

Jo Elle,

I am so glad to see you. I think of you often--everytime I see a big truck.
Stay here!

I just finished writing "Julianne's Wish", so I am allowing myself some 'playtime' in the forums! (Still need to finish the submission letter, been putting that off ... ) Thanks for the welcome!

LC wrote:

alj wrote:

Clearly, from the statement, he did not see that "somebody" to be me. It seemed he was making an assumption that I was buying the rake for a male partner to whom I would be giving the job.

This is a little thing, this assumption, but it speaks to bigger things. It speaks to the assumption that women need men to take care of certain jobs, and that they are willing to manipulate men into doing those jobs.

I think you are making more out of this than is warranted. It just sounds like the kind of chit-chat strangers make when they're trying to be friendly. Also, IME, more men do yardwork then women, and often because the women nagged them to do it (the "honey-do" list).

It is OTHER WOMEN who make guys think this way.

It is funny how that works.
I have a sister who was amazed when I changed a hose in her car for her. Sheesh, all it took was a screwdriver and pliers.

She expects her husband to take his turn at washing dishes, cooking dinners, and taking care of the baby. (As in, he take turns with her and the two teenage daughters.)

However, she does not even put fuel in the cars. That is HIS job. Neither she nor the girls will mow the grass or shovel the snow. It is HIS job. It is also his job to take the trash out.

What is it with these women who want to be liberated and yet still expect men to take care of them???

She keeps asking me why I keep choosing 'mens' work. (I've been an airport ramp worker, EMT, aircraft fueler, and now I'm a truck driver).

I've given her soapbox lectures about her views on these things. I won't dump the same speech here.

Now women are accused of causing earthquakes!

It has taken years to change, but it has been done.

One of my careers was encouraging women to choose "mens' careers." Reason: they were generally quite satisfying and provided an income to support a family - and many of the women I assisted were supporting their families.

We trained petite women to drive heavy equipment by incorporating a short-term fitness program to develop upper body strength - which they did in a hurry. They had a great time with the "power of the machine" and the "power of the income."

Heavy equipment by the way included those strip mining trucks where the cab looks like the head of a pin on top of the rest of the machine.

They were a credit to all of us. Many had to overcome cultural stereotypes and pressure, the unadulterated hate from men on the job, and societal pressure in general against women in construction jobs.

Quote :

She expects her husband to take his turn at washing dishes, cooking dinners, and taking care of the baby. (As in, he take turns with her and the two teenage daughters.)

However, she does not even put fuel in the cars. That is HIS job. Neither she nor the girls will mow the grass or shovel the snow. It is HIS job. It is also his job to take the trash out.

This is common. And it's why I always laugh at those stupid "SAHMs are worth $100k/year!!!" surveys, along with the surveys about how women work two jobs what with work and family. These surveys constantly ignore the work men do for the car and yard, and they're bogus anyhow -if women were really worth all that cake, they'd be getting paid it.

dkchristi wrote:

One of my careers was encouraging women to choose "mens' careers." Reason: they were generally quite satisfying and provided an income to support a family - and many of the women I assisted were supporting their families.

Women's groups are always telling us how women make .70c on the man's dollar. What they ignore is that women deliberately choose low-paying jobs because they don't want the committment, stress and hassle of the higher-paying ones. Women shun risky jobs and choose low-paying majors and jobs because they expect to be financially taken care of. Women also don't work the hours men do, and drop out of the workforce in huge numbers for long times.

I really got arsed at the position NOW took awhile back, that women should be paid Social Security benefits for being SAHM. Who are supposed to pay those benefits, the women who went to work?

The hours worked by women are not my beef. It is the torture and killing of them for no good reason ( and no reason is good)

Lashing a woman 99 times, then sentencing her to death by stoning is ridiculous. No one should rest easy about this.

Men should not be treated this way either.

Equal pay for equal work is fair.

After all the employer shouldn't care what happens at home.

There are some women who work full- time outside the home and do everything at home while the husband hangs out with his friends and does as he pleases.

alice wrote:

...
There are some women who work full- time outside the home and do everything at home while the husband hangs out with his friends and does as he pleases.

I agree. My OTHER sister is one of them. She works a full time job, goes to college (maintaining close to a 4.0 average), runs her daughter to gym, gets her son from daycare, helps daughter with her with homework while doing her own homework, cooks dinner, and tries to keep up with the house.

Her husband goes to work, comes home and plays on the computer. (Getting him to help her with the kids so that she can study is like pulling teeth)

HOWEVER, there are women who do stay home 'with the kids'. And spend most of their time watching TV, on the computer, shopping, sleeping in and taking naps, They do minimal housework, cook easy to make instant meals, get just enough laundry done to send kids to school in clean clothes. Oh, and the kids spend most of their time in school not under mom's watchful eye, and when they are home they are on the computer, watching TV, or hanging with their friends.

Meanwhile the husband deals with morning commuter traffic, a 8 - 12 hour job, and commuter traffic home, plus the 'oh Honey, can you pick up from the store on your way home (she didn't have time to shop because ...) ..., and then this guy gets home to a Hamburger Helper dinner and it is HIS TURN TO WASH THE DISHES!!!

All I am saying is that UNFAIR does happen ... on BOTH ends ... in SOME households.

There are plenty of equal, fair, and cooperative couples/families out there.

JoElle,

All of this is minor in comparison to being lashed and stoned.

This woman would be in heaven if all she had to do was work.

"Duck soup!"

alice wrote:

JoElle,

All of this is minor in comparison to being lashed and stoned.

This woman would be in heaven if all she had to do was work.

"Duck soup!"

True.

Humans can be cruel and very wrong in their thinking.

But it is going to take a long time for things to change. And most (if not all) of these changes are going to have to come from those who are currently enduring the unfairness.

Change is a slow process.

It wasn't long ago that Christians were forcing their religion on "savages". Thinking their abuse methods were God's will.

Independent thinking was not tolerated in matters of religion or politics.

Voicing your displeasure on the way things were earned you a ticket to the dungeon and guaranteed torture.

Our own so called progress is only recent.

Not long ago, in this country we were unfairly lashing women, men, and children and kept them as slaves ... because of their color. And the majority considered it normal.

Then we 'progressed' and stopped the lashings and slavery. But still didn't allow them to eat in our restaurants or even use the same public bathrooms, or go to our schools or vote.

And even when these women, men, and children were given equality by law, it didn't change the thinking of many. Illegal lynchings and rape were common.

We have not 'progressed' so incredibly far in this country. I still meet people who do not think women should drive a truck. I still meet people who make ugly racial remarks.

You can change laws. But you can't always change the way some people think.

I was told as a child that life isn't fair.

And it isn't.

And it won't be as long as people are allowed to think for themselves.

Because humans are not perfect. So, human thinking is not perfect.

Humans can not make a perfect world.

We can only do the best we can.

But even doing the best we can, we can't make things perfect.

Because we are human.

I don't ask for perfection--just a semblance of decency and fairness.

If they had you, I would try to save you.

Also, one last thought on this dreary subject--if one has to die this way, it would be nice to know there was opposition to it.

I would like to know that women about the world did not like or agree with it.

Just me!