Yesterday I took No. 2 daughter to work with me. Now, contrary to the title of this post, this was not because I’m employed in a field where women are unrepresented. I realise that TYDtWD is usually all about a male parent taking his female child(ren) to the research laboratory/coachbuilders/airline where he works and showing her that “girls can do this too!” No, in my case the psychology involved is of the reverse variety. Hopefully the girls will be so terrified by the sight of their mother chained to a desk, carrying out tasks so repetitive they would make your brain shrivel, that they will resolve to grab with both hands every opportunity that life offers them.
Of course the real reason I took Daughter No. 2 to work was to stop her being killed by/killing Daughter No. 1, who was at home engaged in the very serious (and barely perceptible) business of Exam Revision. Actually, No. 2 (unfortunate connotations there. Must try to think of something better) was a model of good behaviour, occupying herself quietly and patiently and proving again the old saying “One’s company, two’s a bloody nightmare”. I, on the other hand was more agitated than normal, subject as I was to the scrutiny of an 11 year-old – there are only so many ways you can, truthfully, answer the question “What are you doing now, Mum?”! Minimising blogs while pretending to do something Really Important takes it out of you, believe me!
So, as far as exploding myths regarding the employment of females goes, yesterday was not an outstanding success! Perhaps though, I was beaten before I began. Once, years ago, I was collecting my older daughter from Rainbows (a sort of Pre-Brownies for those of you who don’t know!), so she would have been about 5, and as we walked home, I pointed out to her that there was a full moon. “Maybe,” I said “when you’re my age, you’ll be able to go to the moon” Back came the answer “No, girls can’t be astronauts”. Naturally, I protested and told her that girls certainly could be astronauts and that, maybe one day she would be one. “But I’d still need you to come to the space rocket with me” When I asked why, I was told “So you could help me put on my astronaut clothes”!
Whither feminism?
