Trying to organise this visit took nearly a ‘cast of thousands’ though slightly exaggerated, that should be myself, hubby and at least five phone calls to organise it. Now, hubby has quite a decent Scottish brogue left over from his first sixteen years growing up in Scotland. When he converses on the phone, more than often, the person at the other end of the phone finds it difficult to understand him so after him advising me that they couldn’t find my car’s details on the breakdown companie's computer, regardless of the registration being at hand for them and that I needed to phone them with the VIN, which did not satisfy me at all so I took matters into my own hands. Yes, we were on their computer file and yes they would organise the breakdown man to visit us at home and to be there at a certain time etc etc once I chatted to them. Naturally, hubby was a little frustrated to think I had managed to organise it without the VIN and so be it my little Scottish thistle! Regardless, I did feel a little sorry for hubby as I realise that females organising male ‘car business’ would not have sat well with him and his maleness.
This had me wondering about female v male ‘jobs’ or ‘roles’ in general. I know the word ‘equality’ is a word that we are constantly reminded of and one which will hopefully break that ‘glass ceiling’ we girls talk about so often as the hinderer to our ‘climbing that corporate ladder’ and bringing home that equal pay. We do have a while to go and hearing recently via a third party that a young relative of mine, graduated and now in the world of laws, is quite horrified how male-dominated this profession is, regardless of the amazing increase in female lawyers. I can only hope that she and my darling daughter, who is about to commence B Laws, will be able to aid in the change this current male-dominated situation.
I however, and ladies don’t judge me too quickly here, feel quite sorry for the blokes of today. With the increased number of females qualifying and taking on what were predominantly male jobs eg medicine, engineering, accounting, mechanics, plumbers, not to mention the fabulous Gayle Kelly now CEO of Westpac , and are now first Australian female Prime Minister, I often wonder if there is a possibility of one day having absolutely no need for males in the world and how sad that would be for all concerned. We all know the one thing men can’t do and women can is fall pregnant and carry that babe for nine months then deliver. To replace their contribution to this miracle of life is store some frozen sperm and we are it....all powerful.....finally a world dominated by females.....I am kidding myself, we already dominate the world and yes we can run the world single-handedly, possibly. It’s true though sad too.
I was brought up in a very strict and traditional Roman
Catholic household where dad was the breadwinner and ex-army. Our family consists of four
children, three females followed by a male. The three girls are tertiary
educated and so was little bro until he gave uni away for a job in tourism. The
three of us girls are very pro-female equality and dad over the
years has sometimes found the three of us a little overbearing at times and I
have no problem with that. ‘All’s fair in love and war’ as the saying goes.
Along with this feminist attitude during my upbringing, I
ended up being a single mum of two for some eight years after a marital
breakdown. I can honestly say that as shocking as this time was, it was also
the time where I truly grew as a female and came to be a woman of substance. Matters when my ex would normally have dealt with, now needed
my supervision and responsibility. It was I who went to visit the bank manager
(female) and to give her the ‘heads up’ as hubby had left the country and it
was now me she would need to liaise with. She was wonderful and we became
really good friends until her transfer to a branch quite a way away. I grew an
amazing backbone during these years, needing to advise hospitals (eldest was a
transplant recipient), schools, kindergartens, utility companies etc etc that
it was now me in charge of bills etc and as initially devastating and embarrassing
it was to admit to a marital breakdown, it became the making of me as a mother
and as a woman. It was now me who had to deal with everyone and everything that involved any of the three of us. I remember during my nursing training back in the early 80’s a
doctor referred to me as a suffragette (I was only 19 at the time) and I was
unsure how to take this. I now own that word with pride after going through the
last decades.
Which brings me back to female v blokes scenario. I don’t
find it daunting ringing up the breakdown service or the car service department
or anyone or thing that has to do with what was once traditionally male
role-taking and I think this is becoming more and more prevalent with females
in today’s world. Wives/partners of our servicemen and women come to mind when
I think of this fact. The waves of farewell to the brave people who travel overseas
to defend our country are owned by the partners left behind to look after the
families. These are the people, predominantly women, who are now left with the
responsibility to raise these children in every way possible. These are the
women who will have to produce a balanced life for these children she is now
solely responsible for. She will be the one they rely on each and every day for
every single need they have and not knowing if she will have that partner to
welcome home at the end of their deployment. It is now totally up to her and oh
how my admiration for these women sky rockets each time I see them on the TV.
This is how I felt for those eight years as a single mum. As those of us who
have been in that position knows, you don’t think about it, you just do it.
So are we becoming a ‘near’ male less society? Not according
to the birth rates but in a strange way, yes. Do some men already feel they have
been made redundant due to the changing roles of women? Many I am sure would
say yes. I however never want that to happen. I don’t like having to take on
male roles and I try to avoid them at all costs. Yes, I can even admit I sit
and play ‘dumb’ sometimes when I see hubby struggling with changing that light
bulb or when looking for that screw driver (the tool, not the drink) which I
managed to use just last week to tighten the door hinge, constructing that new
table I purchased from IKEA and fixing the sinkerator. Who fixed that hinge and that sinkerator? I think it is necessary
to play the ‘maiden in distress’ occasionally. I think it is good for their
manhood for them to puff out that chest whilst looking for a ‘pat on the back’
having finally completed that task set some six months ago by you and what is
now finally, finally finished. The last think I want to have to do is carry those trestles into the market for my market stall from the car park, only to slip another disc in my back whilst doing it. Nope, leave that to him. He is good at it, he has much more strength than me when it comes to carrying things and I will just sit back, smile and nod and say ‘thanks so much darling’ and just be glad that I am woman and I know I can do anything but sometimes I just don’t want to and there’s nothing wrong with that.
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