I suppose one way I can put my perception of leftists is that they are devoid of integrity, devoid of sense of belonging, devoid of care, devoid of responsibility & saturated with nonsense & selfishness. In other words they're a cancer in society gnawing at everything that is of value in society & wrecking it.

Lexi>> But working women have not
simply traded their housework for a career; many
that I know have taken on two jobs - one at home,
and one at work.<<

Lexi my XX chromosome belle, I value the role of women in my life. But juggling a career and doing the manual chores that keep a household running is doable in modern societies because of technology. There are career bachelors who work full time and manage to feed, clothe, and do the household chores in a 24 hour period.

>> Yet for many women the experience of
a career has involved finding out that the rigors
of pursuing their careers, maintaining intimate
relationships, and raising children, are difficult to
balance.<<

The same could be said of males. I have a career, I do the vacuuming, I throw the washing in the machine, I cook the odd meal, I buy stuff at the shops, I listen to my children’s problems, ……I could say “I am woman let me roar,” because I juggle the career, the relationships, the family interpersonal and a bride with the expectation and mind set of a works foreman ….help me…..

TBC

>> especially if they did not
marry and now face the prospect of never finding a husband
or having children<<

Lexi there is certainly a percentage of XXers who have given one thing for another, but there is a plethora that seem to juggle the two. The term spinster was not conceived in the past 50 years, there are always the lonely. Reminds me of a Roy Orbison song.

>> A generation of Australian children is now being
raised by working mothers who leave them in some form of
day care from an early age - something unprecedented on this
scale in the Australian experience.<<

All these social issues were there for the baby boomers as well. I recall many social commentators describing an Australia where women stayed at home and tended to the family, but where I was raised most women worked to supplement the income. So all the issues were there in the 1960’s. The issue is the quality of the nurturing not the quantity.

>> as a result, there has been a sharp increase in the
number of divorces,<<

There are many factors that have combined to increase the rate of divorce, but the most salient is the property rights that women now have in relationship to joint assets. Fifty years ago if you left your husband you were destitute in most cases.

>> Masculine roles are now more ambiguous, more flexible,
more subject to interpretation by the individual<<

I can’t agree with that. My brides expectation was that I support her, love her and the kids, do the heavy lifting around the house and be the one called on when something goes bump in the night and disturbs my slumbering goddess.

Lexi my belle, you paint a grievous picture of the life or modern women....like an endangered species. My point is that you girls have never had it better (in the first world).

Dear Suse,

That's because Australian men think feminism
means treating women as sequels.
(smile).

You need a sense of humour on this forum.

You need a sense of humour on this forum.
Lexi,
Yes. Problem for me is that I encounter those asexuals in my work & they ain't pretty in any way at all. If stupidity were a physical pain they'd be screaming 24/7.

Dear SOG,

Every revolution has its consequences, its benefits,
and its costs. The point that I was attempting to
make was that the revolution in gender roles has
helped to reshape the workplace, the family and
the relationships of the sexes - but the feminist
ideals of the 1960s have not always been fulfilled
by the reality of the 21st century.

You cited your personal examples. I tried to cite
other examples. Women who
looked forward to "having it all," are finding that
the rigors of pursuing their careers, maintaining
intimate relationships, and raising children are
difficult to balance. That's not complaining. That's
stating facts.

Like the feminine role, the masculine role today is
more ambiguous, more flexible, more subject to
interpretation by the individual. You don't have to
agree with that - each of our experiences will be
different. However, under the old system,
everyone knew what their roles were, and most
people unquestioningly behaved as they were supposed to.
The system constrained people, but it freed them from
the need to make choices. There are fewer constraints
today, but the individual now has the liberty -
or the burden - to choose his or her own path to self-
fulfilment. Or stick with the old system.

What I see happening around me is that many alternative
lifestyles and roles are being acceptable for both men
and women. Whatever works for each of us.
And that makes sense in a society that is individualistic
and highly open to change and experimentation. Today we
can explore a wide variety of possible roles. Or not.
We do have more of a choice than we did in the past
under the old system. But as was the case in the past
so it is today - there are problems associated with
each of our choices. That's life.