poirot,

'In consumer society that is how you obtain your sustenance - and it has traditionally been the women's role to look after that area.'
Oh I see, every shopping mall consists of a Coles and a Woolworths and a few kids clothes shops. That's it?

As with the gender pay gap, what I always say is it doesn't matter who earns the money it's who spends it that counts. What would you rather do, earn heaps of money or spend heaps? Money is a means to an end. Sure women buy the groceries, but every single farking stat is about who earns the money, not who gets to spend the money. Why? You know damned well why! Look who's doing the studying.

Loudmouth,

'In a way, a shift from commodities to colleagues ? '

Get your hand off it. Men and women have loved and cherished each other throughout the ages. Read some of the poetry. I wont have this feminist black armband of history where every relationship was an exploitative abusive oppressive affair. Go out and speak to some old people!

Why do we always have to deny women's power. It's in-effect denying the importance of their traditional role. A massive slap in the face. Women are powerful man. They give birth, they nest, they're the cornerstone of families and they make us do crazy things with a wiggle of their hips. If they are so friggin powerless how come so many of my mates over the years have not come down to the pub because their wives wouldn't let them.

Economic power and physical power are discussed ad-infinitum, but the power in the home, in every persons private domain, in families and in relationships, and in the shopping malls, that's what real power is.

Houellie (my sweet) - you twist my words.

Where did I say that women being tethered to the system was all men's fault?....oh wait....I do recall saying that it was carried out in tandem by both genders.

As for your bogan tinkering with his V8 having profound insights - well, I suppose it comes down to your idea of "profound"...but I'm sure at least he would be fairly content.

Regarding the toilet discussion.
My nine year-old son had a profound insight recently that because he had "such good aim" that he would dispense with lifting up the toilet seat when he peed.
You can imagine that consensus was discarded in the search for a resolution to that one.

Houellie,

I see you're still going.

Our consumer paradise has served to warp our traditional situation to a certain extent.
I was merely attempting to point out that it is a female attribute to forage and gather sustenance.

As I also pointed out - before the advent of industrialisation and its accompanying deluge of "products", women spun, weaved and sewed. They tended gardens and looked after livestock - all this usually in partnership with younger children and older females. Theirs was the realm of food, clothing and soft furnishings - some for the home and some to sell. These very things are today found ready-made in our abundant shopping malls.

Next!....

poirot,

'I was merely attempting to point out that it is a female attribute to forage and gather sustenance.'

You seem sensitive/upset. This is as plain as the popularity of Better Homes and Gardens (Worshipping at the Church of Bunnings). My wife watches it, gets 'ideas', and it costs me both manual labour and money. I understand your argument, it's of passing interest, I agree generally, but I'm using your words to make a point about the gender pay gap.

Why do we analyse so much the means, and never the ends, and whose needs are better met. It's considered this great injustice of who earns the money, but who spends it, well, it's never mentioned. Shhh keep stum! The transfer of wealth from men to women is massive! And I'm not even talking about inheritance. How much is spent on 'toys' (Stereos, cars, gadgets) and how much on trinkets (Shoes, Sofa cushions, curtains, carpets, designer children's clothes, Jewellery, , Make-up, Perfume, Beauty Services).

As you mention, women are the shops, and shopping centres reflect their wants, not mens. There are seriously about 5 women's shops to every 1 mens in any Westfields. This is where the money of the world is wasted. Regardless of why (who cares), it's women in control, not men. Yet we hear about the Injustice! of the gender pay gap.

The latest explosion of shops featuring women lined up in little chairs while little Asian women paint their toe-nails and massage their feet in my area is obscene.

'Every diabolical feature that you mentioned is jointly sanctioned by men and women in consumer society. You can't just lay it all at the feet of women. This is an exercise conducted in tandem between the two genders.'

Oh, I have a dream to one day read a feminist analysis like this of .....Patriachy!

'Every diabolical feature that you mentioned is jointly sanctioned by men and women in patriarchal society. You can't just lay it all at the feet of men. This is an exercise conducted in tandem between the two genders.'

Wont hold my breath.

Houellie,

You read that wrong - I'm not sensitive on this subject or upset.

Humans adapt - this is how humans have adapted to consumer culture. The fact that there are more shops targeting women is because the people who produce the wares realise that it is in their profitable interest to do just that.

You can't have it both ways. The toenail painting shops are just another part of the consumer paradigm that you often glorify for its freedom of access and choice.

I'm over the various arguments concerning the gender pay gap or the (unfair?) transference of so-called wealth from one gender to another.
We're all in this together - this is how we do it and this is what we get.

It's only unfair in that it is ignored in the arguments about the gender pay gap. Actually it's not even that, it renders the whole gender pay gap argument itself irrelevant. Maybe that's why it's never mentioned by feminists.

The Gender Pay gap was the cornerstone grievance from feminists for International Women's Day. It's not how much money men earn it's what they do with it that counts. They give it to women and children mostly.

'You can't have it both ways. The toenail painting shops are just another part of the consumer paradigm that you often glorify for its freedom of access and choice.'

I'm not. My point is that women cant be doing too bad with their expendable income due to the injustice of the gender pay gap 'inequality' if they can afford en masse to get other women to kiss their feet in open shopped windows as a 'You're worth it' leisure pursuit.

We really need to right this gross injustice against women pronto!