LOL at this thread and the extract. I have never thought of mowing the lawn as a woman's job......it's always been OH's, I'm not sexist it's just the way the jobs are divided in the Orchid household
As for gloves GD, I actually like the flowery girl types but agree we could do them being a bit thicker like you say......funny how you don't get patterned men's gloves though
I think someone offering to carry things or opening a car door is nice and gentlemanly, not sexist although many will disagree with me. I like to be treated like a lady although I did have a burn the bra phrase (unbelievably) at Uni!!
I think Bekkie asks a very good question. And in my view there is nothing 'wrong' with having a man lend a hand with the heavy stuff if that's what the job requires. I think what winds me up is people making assumptions based on stereotypes, such as, in my recent example above, the glove manufacturer assumes that the woman will not need to do anything more demanding in the garden than brush away a cobweb from some Creeping Virginia. I find the assumption to be the patronising part.
So in answer to your question Bekkie, I don't think it's 'selective sexism', but some men might say it is because the boundaries have shifted in this confusing world. Once upon a long time ago, where it was clear who wore the trousers, and who was chained to the kitchen, that quite reasonably, a man doesn't know if he is going to get a gracious 'thank you' or a knuckle sandwich when he next holds the door open for a woman.
I think it's rude not to hold a door open whether you are male or female, it's also rude not to say thank you, I frequently hold a door for people and so often people don't say thank you LOL!
I don't let the glove thing bother me, I just buy men's
The world is full of stereotypes, I have both of my boys doing jobs in the house and they can both iron and work the washer (ages 13 and 15), I think it's important they are independent and don't think they need a female to do these things (Plus I'm a mean mum apparently!!)
You are doing the right thing OL! My OH is the baby and the only boy, totally ruined, throws a strop and gets everything he wants! Dosent even know how to pay a bill!
The ONLY household job he does is the bins, however he does pay for everything!
Its not just floral gloves, at my local GC they had vey overpriced gardening clothes with floral patches! I suppose us ladies must not be seen in masculine attire!
I must admit I do like girly so that's probably why I don't mind flowery gloves.....in fact I go out of my way to find them But they do need to be thicker
Don't think that I am annoyed by the wearing of floral material in gardening attire - its fine with me what you wear - like totally. I just don't like the business people (marketing/product design) who think they have got a particular group of people pigeon-holed.
Such as when you know that a company who has manufactured an iron, for instance, and wants more men to buy their product, knows that if they ask a man to iron a shirt he wont do it. But he will if they tell him on the box that this is an iron with super-charged ion steam particles that heats up to one fifth of the temperature of the sun, he may be more interested.
Get me?
Back to the sexism and gardening, does anyone have any similar examples to mine in the ancient gardening books gathering dust on their bookcases? Mine surely cannot be the only example out there!
Machines in the 50s were heavy, cumbersome affairs and grass cutting then was all about neat clips and straight edges and rollered rows to make a nap. In the 60S, the Flymo liberated everyone from that tyranny since it was light and easy to use and had no rollers.
These days OH and I have enough grass to need a sit on mower and OH and I are both happy to trundle around on it but he definitely does the bit that needs a Flymo and strims all the edges as that sort of stuff requires no horticutural skill or knowledge. He likes the garden to look good but hasn't a clue about the plants.
There's an article in this month's The Garden (RHS magazine) about pink jobs and blue jobs. I tend to think the lines are blurred now and it is right that they be so but division of labour should be according to who has which skills or interests and not what sex they are.
For us that means I get to do all the fun stuff like sowing seeds, potting on, planting out, refereeing but also quite a bit of DIY jobs. I have back problems so OH gets to turn the compost heaps, dig beds, carry stuff. He picks the fruit and I make the jams and jellies and crumbles.
As for gloves, I have them in loads of colours, plain and patterned and in various weights according to the job. Some match my wellies. I have lilax, pink and green ones for different seasons. I have coloured trugs too in different sizes. I find an old pair of ski gloves comes in handiest for the very prickly jobs.
Gardening should be fun, whoever or whatever you are.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Ooh Obelixx, I need different colour wellies, mine are dark blue with pale blue spots, nice but would like some pink ones
I agree with you GD, can't stand stereotyping of any form, but can't share any examples as I don't have any old books....don't even have many new ones, well not on gardening anyway.
Posts
LOL at this thread and the extract. I have never thought of mowing the lawn as a woman's job......it's always been OH's, I'm not sexist it's just the way the jobs are divided in the Orchid household
As for gloves GD, I actually like the flowery girl types but agree we could do them being a bit thicker like you say......funny how you don't get patterned men's gloves though
I think someone offering to carry things or opening a car door is nice and gentlemanly, not sexist although many will disagree with me. I like to be treated like a lady although I did have a burn the bra phrase (unbelievably) at Uni!!
If I burned my bra it would keep us warm for a week in winter and save the poor man from going out to chop logs.
I think Bekkie asks a very good question. And in my view there is nothing 'wrong' with having a man lend a hand with the heavy stuff if that's what the job requires. I think what winds me up is people making assumptions based on stereotypes, such as, in my recent example above, the glove manufacturer assumes that the woman will not need to do anything more demanding in the garden than brush away a cobweb from some Creeping Virginia. I find the assumption to be the patronising part.
So in answer to your question Bekkie, I don't think it's 'selective sexism', but some men might say it is because the boundaries have shifted in this confusing world. Once upon a long time ago, where it was clear who wore the trousers, and who was chained to the kitchen, that quite reasonably, a man doesn't know if he is going to get a gracious 'thank you' or a knuckle sandwich when he next holds the door open for a woman.
I think it's rude not to hold a door open whether you are male or female, it's also rude not to say thank you, I frequently hold a door for people and so often people don't say thank you LOL!
I don't let the glove thing bother me, I just buy men's
The world is full of stereotypes, I have both of my boys doing jobs in the house and they can both iron and work the washer (ages 13 and 15), I think it's important they are independent and don't think they need a female to do these things
(Plus I'm a mean mum apparently!!)
The ONLY household job he does is the bins, however he does pay for everything!
Its not just floral gloves, at my local GC they had vey overpriced gardening clothes with floral patches! I suppose us ladies must not be seen in masculine attire!
I must admit I do like girly so that's probably why I don't mind flowery gloves.....in fact I go out of my way to find them
But they do need to be thicker 
Don't think that I am annoyed by the wearing of floral material in gardening attire - its fine with me what you wear - like totally. I just don't like the business people (marketing/product design) who think they have got a particular group of people pigeon-holed.
Such as when you know that a company who has manufactured an iron, for instance, and wants more men to buy their product, knows that if they ask a man to iron a shirt he wont do it. But he will if they tell him on the box that this is an iron with super-charged ion steam particles that heats up to one fifth of the temperature of the sun, he may be more interested.
Get me?
Back to the sexism and gardening, does anyone have any similar examples to mine in the ancient gardening books gathering dust on their bookcases? Mine surely cannot be the only example out there!
Machines in the 50s were heavy, cumbersome affairs and grass cutting then was all about neat clips and straight edges and rollered rows to make a nap. In the 60S, the Flymo liberated everyone from that tyranny since it was light and easy to use and had no rollers.
These days OH and I have enough grass to need a sit on mower and OH and I are both happy to trundle around on it but he definitely does the bit that needs a Flymo and strims all the edges as that sort of stuff requires no horticutural skill or knowledge. He likes the garden to look good but hasn't a clue about the plants.
There's an article in this month's The Garden (RHS magazine) about pink jobs and blue jobs. I tend to think the lines are blurred now and it is right that they be so but division of labour should be according to who has which skills or interests and not what sex they are.
For us that means I get to do all the fun stuff like sowing seeds, potting on, planting out, refereeing but also quite a bit of DIY jobs. I have back problems so OH gets to turn the compost heaps, dig beds, carry stuff. He picks the fruit and I make the jams and jellies and crumbles.
As for gloves, I have them in loads of colours, plain and patterned and in various weights according to the job. Some match my wellies. I have lilax, pink and green ones for different seasons. I have coloured trugs too in different sizes. I find an old pair of ski gloves comes in handiest for the very prickly jobs.
Gardening should be fun, whoever or whatever you are.
Ooh Obelixx, I need different colour wellies, mine are dark blue with pale blue spots, nice but would like some pink ones
I agree with you GD, can't stand stereotyping of any form, but can't share any examples as I don't have any old books....don't even have many new ones, well not on gardening anyway.