Thank you James.

I think it's quite funny how men were blamed for keeping their wives barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen, and now Suze reckons it's also our fault for pushing our wives into the workforce to be wage slaves. It's a tough job all this domineering of women, a man's work is never done.

I'm still waiting for the Author to reconcile points 'First' and 'Third' as I said in my first post. They are contradictory in my opinion.

>'First, making sure that the criteria for selection are genuinely based on what is actually needed for the position '

>'Third, placing interpersonal skills, listening skills and accuracy in work - at which research shows that more women excel - higher up the scale of requirements.'

For one I don't believe women excel at these skills any more than men, in fact statements about men excelling in certain areas are considered sexist. Secondly, point 1 calls for the criteria based on what is necessary, then point 3 wants more weight given to skills the author thinks women will more likely excel. i.e. The scale of requirements for what is required should NOT be based on what is actually needed for the position.

<I think it's quite funny how men were blamed for keeping their wives barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen, and now Suze reckons it's also our fault for pushing our wives into the workforce to be wage slaves. It's a tough job all this domineering of women, a man's work is never done.>

Basically it is a no win situation.Dammed if you do and dammed if you dont.

The earlier feminists saw marriage a patriarchial construct designed to keep women oppressed.

Now some women are complaining that men wont commit to marriage.

The tv show friends, had one episode where two women who were arguing with each other and as soon as a bloke stepped in they both turned on him.

Briar Rose, You are a woman over 50 who was never criticised for working? Lucky you. I am a working woman of 40 with two children under school age. Despite having a generally positive experience of community reaction to my workforce participation, I am often subtley criticised for being a working mother. I am a part-time worker. My full time working friends are often openly criticised. Criticism of working women over 50 in my family was commonplace. The different attitudes to workforce participation of mothers, particularly of young children, are a subject of much conversation in anti-natal classes, parents' (generally new mothers') groups, playgroups, anti-natal classes, We must move in different social cirles. I also think you read dogma into observation. I didn't say "all women were criticised". I said "women were criticised". They still are. This doesn't mean that every woman will have the same experience. Same as: "People of non-Anglos ethnicity experience racism in Australia". There are no doubt many who don't, that doesn't make untrue the experience of those who do. I'm also suprised at your comment. We seem to be coming from a similar perspective yet your comment has an "attack" quality about it. I'm fine with that. Argument is a wonderful part of my life and I often phrase conversation as "attack" when I don't think it through. Often. I've read some of your comments and commend your views.

Briar Rose - did you think I meant that women over 50 in the workforce now are criticised for working? I've read my post and I can see from my phrasing that would be a logical interpretation and thus would make your comment back to me understandable. Which at present it is not. What I actually meant was: women who are now over 50 who worked when their children were under school age were often criticised at that time (i.e. when they were working mothers of under-school age children back in the 70s). Phrasing - my downfall. How often am I misunderstood because of my poor expression? Apologies. I'm sure its nevertheless possible that when you were in this situation you were not criticised. But I feel it would be extremely hard for you to argue convincingly that criticism of working mothers of young children in the 70s was not commonplace.

Mountain, meet Molehill.

Personally I never tire of hearing about women 'not so long ago' who had trouble getting mortgages or had 'societal expectations' repressing their every move. (Of course, only one gender ever experiences 'societal expectations', and those 'expectations' are only held and reinforced by the other gender.)

It's just so relevant to my life today. And even though I wasn't born, well, I take full responsibility for these injustices, and I hope they are never forgotten. Heaven forbid we ever move on.

Now, what was it I was saying about lost soldiers...

Houellebecq, I wonder if it starts in childhood

I remember reading that if two siblings of different genders were fighting, regardless of who started it, if the older sibling was male, he would be the one to get into trouble, and if the older sibling was female and the younger male, it would still be the male who got into trouble.