International Day of Women

The day could be celebrating the achievements of women in all fields but so much still remains to be done. We have had conversations recently with some of the refugees who are our friends and there is clearly a lot to do in those African and Asian societies mainly to change attitudes of men, but in some cases women too (one points at FGM as a case in point).
But some of our so called civilised western friends are pretty unreconstructed. One friend advises against using women professionals for advice, as for one week in four it is likely to be unstable. One man posted on Facebook complaining about women commentators on rugby matches. One hates the idea of women cricketers, footballers or any sport considered as masculine. Or bus drivers. One of our "bin men" hanging onto the lorry is a woman!
We have been thinking of areas where men have been usurping women's roles: what about men cooks, or nurses, or romantic novelists...It's time for us to recognise that women and men can choose to be free in what they do without it causing anger or resentment.
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