Things getting worse for young women?

Those were the kind of things that I thought of when I saw the topic title, JessM. I get the impression that many young women are being influenced to alter themselves to try to fit in with increasingly unreasonable expectations of men. Also that it is becoming increasingly acceptable for men to make sexist vicious "jokes".
If this type of culture takes hold there will be little hope of fairness within families or anywhere else.

Women want to be loved. Hence they will alter themselves.

then it is time to go back to square one, and teach them how to love themselves and improve their self-esteem- truly! I despair.

I will add a more perhaps controversial thought.
That the majority of women want to do the majority of childcare? Even nowadays.
<ducks>

Do you have any basis for that assertion soontobe? A lot of childcare is excruciatingly boring but has to be done and, very often, it is mum who knuckles down and gets on with it. I recall my ex saying something along the lines that he would spend more time with our daughter, then a baby, once she could talk and was more interesting. I don't think this attitude was unique to him.

My only basis is what I have noticed and seen from the young people I know.
I am quite happy for you and others to say that I have got it wrong.

No need to duck. And yes, women can be their own worst enemies in so many ways. Nothing wrong with them having the choice- but too often this is for all the wrong reasons- and the choice is actually imposed by their men and by expectations and outside pressures.

I probably only know 1 young mum out of 20, that would rather that her male partner does the majority of childcare.
But as I say, for all I know, it may be different elsewhere.

What did you want absent? Did you want to do the ^majority of it?

You are probably right- what I am questioning is the reason/s.

And as said, as long as this is the case....

I would have loved to share- but for all sorts of reasons, it was just not possible.

Why is everyone going on about childcare again? That is not what the link in the OP is about.

I quite agree, FarNorth!

falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/how-85-of-tax-and-benefit-savings-have-been-at-the-expense-of-women

Just in case anyone says that's not important, if the government think this little of women, why should men as a whole think any better?

Women have choices though. It has always been like this in my opinion. You choose to follow the crowd, or you dont.

FarNorth- perhaps because child care is often the key?

Soontobe, yes in many ways women have more choices then men.

I had the choice to go back to Uni to study and build my own career. Had I chosen to stay at home and never contribute financially and otherwise, it would have been my choice too. Those who looked at me strangely and questioned my decisions were not the men (be they friends or neighbours) but the women (most of whom went to have a 'surprise' 3rd and therefore remained at home). Women can be their own enemies, and the enemies of other women who make different choices- sadly.

One reason I love 'Educating Rita'- fortunately my OH couldn't have been more different in his attitude than her stupid husband. When I went for interview at Uni- one woman who knew my husband professionally asked me 'and what does your husband think about you going back to Uni with two small children. Surely he's got enough on his plate!'.

Thinking about this some more. Without sharing here with anyone, but just between you and the lamp-post, and in total honesty, how would your OH have reacted if you had said when your kids started primary school :
'it's time for me now- I want to go back to my career or studying, full-time- and that means YOU will have to step up to the mark and take your full-share of the responsibilities with the children, their actitivities, and the household chores?'

Would he have supported you 100%?

Just realised the BBC programme referred to in the OP was broadcast almost a year ago!

I'm with soontobe on this. Women do have far more choices than they used to. Men don't have a monopoly on sheer stupidity -girls and young women can be daft enough to present themselves like porn stars if they want to and take the risks that opens them to.
To get to my point: basically, men and women are not androgenous interreplaceable entities. We're animals and females are just plain different from males. Not better or worse just different. Females are more oriented to caring for their young than males are. That's just the way it is. Its nature. Obviously there are some men who manage children very well and some women who don't but these are minorities. We do have more choices. One of them is to encourage politicians to enable the development of stable, content families. More usefully by economic means other than getting mothers back to work asap. Its not like we've got masses of vacant jobs anyway.

Who on earth said 'equality = the same' - of course we are all different- and of course women do tend to have traits men do not have, and vice-versa. But here comes that huge debate- where does nature and nurture start and end. Nurture is a huge part of it- so many research studies have shown this, how babies are treated VERY differently, even today, from birth.

Not, there arent' masses of jobs vacant- but then why should the jobs available automatically go to the men? Ok if it is a REAL choice, and I do believe nurture/society/expectations and more, mean it isn't- but not as an automatic response. So women were perfectly able to do 'mens' jobs during the war (and they certainly did prove that) and let others look after the children whilst they did so- but not when there is no war on.

CQFD- forgotten the Latin (English) version Anno.

QED of course.

"and let other who?" look after the children during the war granjura - women of course! Paid employment outside the home should not necessarily be the gold standard or only way for women to think they are valuable. I say that as one who always did work but often wished I didn't have to when the children were very young.

Of course- I totally agree- but .... as long as it is a real choice, and not imposed by 'society or expectations'.

I agree. As long as the provision of child care is seen as the only thing to do then nothing will change. What can be done to support women to stay at home and look after their children? Surely there are more imaginative and flexible ways to do this? It's a massive subject!