Today's news is that women are still earning less then men.
According to the BBC website: "It will take almost a century for UK women managers to be paid the same as their male counterparts, a study says.
Female managers are now paid an average £31,895 per year, compared with men earning £42,441 for doing the same job, according to the report by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)."
Two days ago, I blogged on my own site about: Sally Bercow on Big Brother.....does she, or any spouse, have a duty to their spouses job/role?
On Mumsnet I have been discussing the idea of a Women's Party - a political party targeting women to re-shape the societal landscape. What has interested me the most is that there has been a re-sounding 'no' to this as because the notion is not equal.
Below are my responses in thread. Yes - it's one sided but you can check out the thread if you want to see the objections. What's interesting is that women are so pre-conditioned to subjugation that they can't even entertain the notion of a party that actually put their interests first. We are doomed to be ruled by men forever :(
Threaders on the debate forum:
AMODMILLYMUM
One of my lifetime ambitions is to make childcare tax deductable - ok I might not be able to do this in the immediate future but isn't funny that we have a green party and independence party but nobody has thought to create a women's party and we represent 50% of the population or maybe more (I don't know the stats so I am just guess-timating.)
I would definitely be interested in a Women's party though if someone can get to starting it before I can. I have a bit on at the moment but acorns and oak trees and all that.
[Negative response from a poster on the forum]
AMODMILLYMUM
Ok - let's not bother then because let's face it 50% of the population is not a number worth targeting.
Especially when neither the Tories or Labour don't represent anything I want to vote for. There is a political void.
Your response just makes me want to do it more now. To busy at the moment though unfortunately - have to pay the bills first!
I don't have to do anything - we can do what what we want. The question is has anyone even tried to set up a women's party?
As a case in point - Mumsnet is probably the most significant internet forum in the UK with the biggest user base and statistics. This is how powerful the female collective is - problem is we don't believe it and your response simply illustrates that sentiment. The Tory party chose to engage with Mumsnet directly to influence voter because they deemed it to be so significant.
Women want a voice - set up a women's party - simple. You have to believe to achieve and I believe in the power of women. I just wish more women believed in themselves too so that we could instigate some change.
If women ruled the world......
[Debate hots up a bit]
AMODMILLYMUM
I blame the witch hunts in the 1500s and patriarchal crusaders of Judaism, Islam and Christianity (Eve is blamed for our mortality for being persuaded to eat apple by talking serpent - she gets child birth men gets hard labour) which have demonised women as 'snakes with tits' - in more pagan times women and men were equal and women were revered as the givers of life and mother nature (very simplified).
But yes - women compete with each other and this divide us. If women united men would have less power. We empower men by carrying their responsibilities for them
[Question: what is your manifesto?]
AMODMILLYMUM
Re: Manifesto
Obviously, I was just shooting from the hip and so I haven't given it too much consideration and also it wouldn't be about my needs but more about the needs of women.
1.) Tax deductable child care - this is my biggest aim because I think it is what prevents women going back to work and protecting themselves form poverty.
[A husband is not a pension]
NHS - I am passionate about the NHS and think it is our greatest gift
Education - I think is also incredibly important but would be inclined towards recognising the differences between girls and boys - because I think they are programmed differently. I would empower teachers to have candid - conversations with parents - through a 360 degree feedback system similar to an appraisal between parents and teacher - about child behaviour.
Welfare - I would be inclined less towards a cash system and more towards a 'food vouchers' 'clothing vouchers' 'heating vouchers' "free vegetables and potatoes'
I am afraid I would be less liberal on immigration as I feel we would benefit from tighter controls
Law & Order - I would give more power to the police but the emphasis would be on truth and justice and not prosecution. I would reform the law away from wigs and gowns - it is draconian. I would also ban being drunk in court. I think alcoholism is rife in both sides of the courts system and think that it should be mandatory that you are sober in court.
Just shooting from the hip.
Just thought of a crazy idea - get rid of the Mon - fri 9 -5 week and have a week where maybe women work 3.5 days and men work 3.5 days or just work 7 days a week 24 hours a day and extract your work commitments around this concept.
[Question: have you ever considered going into politics?]
AMODMILLYMUM
Yes - have thought about it. But don't have a party I could align myself too at the moment. Or the time or the resources but maybe one day when my kids are a bit older - they already have one absentee parent with a military father. Plus I hate living in London and even being in London for longer than necessary - it's stifling and claustrophobic - plus everywhere you look is temptation, materialism, shops, food, status, arrogance, cliques and people trying to be something fake. It's hot, smelly, polluted and dirty. I hate the way that London is seen as the barometer of everything - in the media especially - as if you don't live there you are incapable of making a rationale choice or you are 'uncool' or not worthy in some way. I don't have the right uniform for politics plus I am really flawed and have been very naughty in the past.
But I do think that in order to re-address the balance quickly you need to do something radical - ie start a Women's Party to drive the change and force the agenda and also that the existing system is designed by men to suit men. this pussy footing around trying to play by male rules is shit. Look at Thatcher - she was a man with a fanny (front bottom). I want to re-write the rules and change the game.
Interesting a women's party may be swayed towards addressing female equality but fundamentally it would have to be able to govern holistically in the same way the patriarchal parties do now. I wouldn't rule out having male representatives in the women's party. It's not an exclusive coven - it would be a political party that would change the way we do business.
For example - why is profit maximisation a driving economic influence - sustainability could be achieved by breaking even.
Don't even get me started on council tax for refuse and landfill - when ultimately the manufacturers should be taxed for producing packaging - not the consumer - we do we have to foot the bill for packaging disposal. Consumer demand shouldn't always drive production. It is the role of Government to manage the best interests of society. Just like it is the parents role to manage the best interests of the child. If my son was in control of his own demands he would simply live on sweets - that is clearly not in his best interests.
AMODMILLYMUM
It's interesting that the thread is titled - 'Do women have to like a women to support her?' and many responses are 'I have supported a women I don't like' or 'No, I don't have to like anyone, of any gender ability race age or sexual orientation, to support them.'
These are very individual responses where as the question is meant to be more holistic and generic. I have supported women I don't like but I don't think that is the norm - I think the majority of women have to like someone to support them.
I also think it is laughable that women apply the principles of meritocracy in an unequal society - therefore again women disadvantage the revolution or evolution by expecting the game to be played fairly. Men don't play fairly so in order to instigate change women have to play 'smart' - to work smarter not harder.
Plus Mumsnet poster 1 you assume that the Women's Party would focus simply on women's issue - it wouldn't it would have to have a holistic manifesto that would create a viable governing party, plus I wouldn't rule out having men in it.
I think it would work the more I think about it - and it makes me laugh that you write 'It were different when I were a lass, but those battles have been won for now.' The battles have far from been won. It is this attitude that keep us ruled by men, incarcerated in marriage and domestic slaves. I am one of these women and I am educated, run my own business, etc and I fell into the wife trap before I even realised what I had done - I was barefoot, pregnant and tied to the kitchen - no pension, no security unless I stay married.
[More debate]
AMODMILYMUM
@Mumsnet poster 1
You tell me - what does the manifesto look like that you would vote for - why don't you design it yourself - it's not for me to decree what the women's party manifesto should represent.
It's a long way still until the war is won. But first of all I would genuinely like to thank you for paving the way to push through to the next battle which ultimately leads to the next step and the next step towards true equally represented equality and women not just in power but actually in charge! I don't think that men should be in charge - they have fucked the world up quite frankly - it's our turn!!
FYI - I am not in the military I am married to the military but women are not allowed to fight on the frontline even today that is deemed man's work. Just like women are not allowed to join the Special Forces.
We are so glass half empty - it's interesting that everyone says 'no' and not even 'yes please' - I would love to have my interests genuinely represented and I would love for women to have the balance of power. There is not even an aspiration to be in control of our own lives - to make our own choices and build a world that we want to live in.
I studied The Cinderella Complex at school 20 years ago - and then stupidly got married!! Doh!!
@Mumsnet poster 2
I will go into politics eventually - the world can wait for my children to grow up.
My feeling is this that the majority of men see women as their servants - that men see wives as chattels and that once we have children we give ourselves up to readily to become servants of our children too. This is the cycle that we have to break or address in order to take charge and change the rules of engagement. We live under men's terms and not our terms.
Now hark I know that there are many individual cases where this is not the reality but in the world I inhabit when I look around this is to me what the MAJORITY looks like.
In conclusion: It looks like we are doomed to be ruled by men forever...skulks off to do the washing up......