How attitudes have changed towards women?

In the late 80s just after moving to a new house,
(which I had virtually single handedly organised, due to DH working away.
Whilst looking after our two small children and caring for terminally mother, who sadily died just couple of weeks prior to us moving into our new home)

We discovered that we had very bad Tv reception.

It seemed that roof aerial was quite bent.

So I did a quick search in the local free paper and spotted an ad for a local TV aerial company.

A rather jolly fellow arrived in TV aerial van, looked up at the aerial on roof, scratched his chin and said
"looks like you need a new aerial love"

I said "yes that's what we thought".
"How much would you charge to fit me a new one and how soon could you do the job?

His reply was "I would need to discuss price and fitting with yer husband.

"You're joking right?"

" No love don't do business with women, they have habit of changing their minds or haven't asked hubby before they order and then have to ring up and Cancel!"

I wish I could say that I came back with smart rebuke and a dont call me Love, but sadily not.

I just said 'goodbye!' and went off to find another not so local aerial company.

I know the same conversation would not happen today.
However, if it did, then he would not only get the sharp end of my tongue, but I would also have the satisfaction of giving a big fat 0 star rating and a bad review on the company website to boot!

I don't think men were required to have permission from their wives to have a vasectomy
SirChenjin

I lived alone for a few years after leaving my first husband and went alone to buy new cars when necessary. I liked Fiats particularly but in one showroom a salesman would persist in calling me "little lady" and asking what colour car I wanted. I was so annoyed by this I got a salesman from another showroom to get the car I wanted. He thought it was hilarious.

I didn’t think so either sodapop but a previous poster said that she’d had to give permission for her DH to have one.

DD1 went to buy her new Jag recently, in jeans and trainers- and was treating like a 'dumb blonde' - she played along with it- until salesman asked when her husband would come to confirm the sale. She said there was no need- and she could just as easily buy it cash from the garage in the next town if they'd rather. But how will you pay for it, he asked. Cash, she said- and walked out and went to next town where she was warmly welcomed.

I was working for a well known bank during the Winter of Discontent in 1971/72 when there were all the strikes. I was PA to one of the Bank's Directors and there were a lot of dresscode rules, eg. we had to keep our arms covered down to the elbows, etc.

When we had no power in the Bank because of the strikes, obviously it was freezing. Eventually the Bank Directors decided that the PAs and Secretaries could wear trousers while the lights were off in order to keep warm, but that the minute the lights came on, we were not to be seen in them, and we had to rush off and get changed into skirts, stockings and high heels in the Ladies loo, even though the building hadn't warmed up so it was still freezing.

Re vasectomy, I had to give permission for my husband to have one, and we both had to go for a very brief counselling session, perhaps because we were only 30, to make sure we knew what we were doing.

Re contraception, I could not get the Pill unless I could give a wedding date to my GP which was not more than 3 months ahead. He said it would take that long for the Pill to get into my system!!! It never occurred to me to lie

In 2010 I had a new central heating boiler fitted in my own house where I live alone. The insurance cover still arrives addressed to MR Sparklefizz.

When trying to get a mortgage in 1976, I couldn't get one on my own without a mans signature, but my (now ex) husband could with just his signature.

When we bought our first house in 1976 my signature had to be witnessed because I was a woman.

Not having my earnings taken into account as 'I would probably be pregnant soon' when we were applying for our first mortgage.

Things are so much better now. On the other hand my daughter told me this recently. Her firm were having their annual assessment day for the lawyers in the firm who had applied to become partners. She was one of the assessors and had arrived early and was looking through some papers. Another male lawyer arrived from another city and took a look at her and said 'Go and make us a cup of tea love, I've had a long journey'. She said his face was a picture when the day started and she made her way to the front. Because she was female he automatically assumed she was a secretary.

Sex education in schools at a younger age has made huge differences in as much as boys now appreciate that girls have periods and the embarrassment we felt 60 years ago seems to be very much diminished. As an example, my 12 year old granddaughter began her periods last summer and it was my 10 year old grandson who told me the news minutes before she was able to - her response after he had stolen her thunder was "yes, and you'd better watch out because now I've got more hormones, I might become irritable" - I laughed and thought to myself that I could never have encountered that scenario in my day. Change for women is always going to be gradual because we are still in a paternalistic society. What will be interesting however, is how women continue to fare when Brexit arrives because the first casualties in any form of belt-tightening are always women.

Interesting Post!

I started work in 1972 at the Halifax Building Society. At the time when a woman got married, they were forced to 'resign' and apply for their job again as a married woman!!!! Can't Adam and Eve it! 1972! and I think it went on for a few years after that!!! Bahaha....imagine that happening now?

Also remember a very old pub which was 'men' only! long into the seventies. Actually revisited said pub recently and got talking to some old stalwarts who remembered this. In actual fact the pub still didn't have dedicated women's toilets!! They had to go upstairs to the owners flat!!! I laughed so much.

A friend with many letters after her name headed up a team researching into pain pathways. They were being filmed for s TV programme on the research. Her arm was the most photogenic and least hairy on the (mostly male) team, so it was used for the close-up shots of needles being stuck in and sensory measurements being taken.

Then there was a break for refreshments before the main interviews. The blokes were shepherded off for posh nosh with the high-heid-yins. She was given mugs of coffee with the girl minions, and asked what these clever chaps were like to work for.

Some banks were enlightened. I married in 1966 and my late DH and I decided to change my account into a joint one as the terms were better than the bank he was at. The bank simply added his name to mine and we became Mrs (initial) purplepatch and Mr (initial) purplepatch. I am still with the same bank 53 years later even though they have gone through a merger since then. Englightenment should be rewarded!

On the down side..I used to commute into London for work from 1986 until the late 90s. It was routine to see a husband drive up to the station with his wife in the passenger seat. He would go into the station, she would get in the driving seat and drive off. In the evening she would drive up to the station, switch to the passenger seat and he would get in and drive. There were several couples like that. I used to think FFS really?

Oh, and another one. I had a male secretary for a couple of years in the 1990s. We lost count of the times that on first meeting everyone i.e. men and women would assume I was the secretary and he was the boss, even though I was in my 50s and he was just out of college. Mind you, we had some fun with those assumptions.

1980s - when i visited my parents without my, then, husband they always thanked him for letting me come to see them aaaargh!!!!

Another one from my MIL (who is the dubious gift who keeps on giving) is that DH is the head of the household and we (as in me and the DC) should all pay him the respect he is due. I did point out that he and I are joint heads of the household but I think it fell on deaf ears.

In 1969 I applied to take a masters degree at a London College and was told at interview that I couldn't have a place because I was married and might have a baby !

In the 1990's my husband retired due to ill health so we decided we needed a joint account. I had an account with Nat West for years before as this was how I was paid. When I asked NatWest to add him to my account they put his name first. I was livid and actually still am!

I recall going to the family planning clinic in the early 70s,asked if I wS married and when I said no the receptionist told me to tell the dr I was engaged to be married!
Also when we went for a mortgage my earnings wouldn't be taken into account because I'd get pregnant as soon as we married.I didn't.It took a few years!
I would never meet my boyfriend( now husband) inside the pub as my parents would have had a fit,only prositutes went into a pub alone!
I could tell many more tales.
Things have improved but there's still a long way to go.

When I was applying for my first mortgage with my bank Nat West (1976), on getting married - my future husband was still a student- the guy who interviewed us said, 'What happens if you get pregnant?' I just stood up and walked out, went straight over the road to the West Bromwich Building Society and they didn't bat an eyelid and granted it straight away on my teaching salary.

When we had a joint of meat on Sundays in the 1950s my father had the best bit of the meat and then my mother and I could have the other bits. My father could not cook anything and never tried. On the other hand, he worked full-time and Mum didn't work. Now I think things have perhaps gone too far the other way. I don't think women should go back to work after having a baby for a few years unless there is a family member to look after the baby. But that's just my opinion. Also I think some women have tried to be like men doing some physical jobs and it's impossible unless they are as big and as strong as men. For example I wouldn't want to be rescued from a fire by a woman fire fighter trying to carry me down a ladder.

So let’s get this straight - you’d rather die in a house fire than be rescued by a professional (female) fire fighter who undergoes the same training as a man, has passed all the entry requirements and is deemed to be as equally capable as her male colleagues by her superiors? Really??!

So many of these posts are so familiar particularly regarding employment, I too worked in a bank when I left school in the mid 1970s.
However something I recall was more family related. One of my cousins was very unexpectedly and sadly widowed in her late thirties. She subsequently entered into a relationship with a new man who was actually known to our family. He had recently been through an acrimonious divorce. He moved into her house and they lived quite happily for many years until his death. But I can clearly remember my mum and her sisters being very uncomfortable about their domestic arrangements in that they were never married and were to all intents and purposes living in sin. My DDs are quite incredulous when I tell them this. They can hardly believe that anyone would even care. But they did, and it was always the woman who was 'no better than she should be.'

Some years ago when my husband insured our (2) cars he was asked which was his and which was mine. She couldn't understand that we both used both cars. We just used the most accessible one at the time.