Strictly Not True

Written for https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/09/13/rdp-wednesday-bread-winner/

Who is the bread winner these days, as the patriarchal society doesn’t exist. That is strictly not true, there are countries around the world where woman are still seen as Mum, wife, or looking after the home. It is changing, which is a good thing.

In sports we have women playing football, rugby, cricket and some doing a better job than the men. The England woman’s team are a force to be reckoned with. There is a lot less diving, and they are just as skilled as the men. They are on television, the crowds getting bigger. Yet are they paid the same money as men? No. Their wages are only a quarter of what their male counterparts earn, some even having a second job to have a fraction of their money.

Most women, who are firefighters, or policewomen, or doctors, are paid the same (I hope) they do the same job, so therefore deserve the same pay. I worked for Royal Mail for eighteen years. My pay was just the same, and quite rightly, I was expected to do the same heavy lifting.

The same cannot be said for working your way up to management. There are far fewer women, who hold positions of power. We have had two women prime ministers in my lifetime. America has had no female presidents. We are the voting public too. Saying that, I don’t have faith in politics, or the MP’s in our country. They sound more like children, while they are debating in parliament.

Even when women do get into those sorts of positions, they are still paid less than the men. It is only those women, who are brave enough to go to their managers for a raise, who get it. How do I know this? I work in a school and the students were learning about equality.

So, women can be breadwinners too. I love my children, but I was never content with staying at home. I love the independence my wages bring. In my job, yes, pay is equal. Only a hundred years ago, women were starting to believe they were as good as their male counterparts. The Suffragettes going on hunger strike to get the vote. Women taking on men’s jobs when they were away fighting. My own grandmother taking on the role of Mum and Dad, taking in washing to feed her family.

I am proud to be a woman.