Gender Issues in Europe

[Jaga]

zooba said:

It turned out that in my son's class there are 17 boys and 3 girls. I assume that the children were admitted according to their aptitudes, the results of the interview and what we've got - very "male" dominated group. Should the school introduce 50/50 rule? For me not easy to decide.

This is a bit strange, I agree with you. I do not understand why somehod they could not let more girls into this school!

[zooba]

I was also surprised to see it. On the other hand there are 16 boys and 8 girls in my daughter's group at the kindergarden. Without any interviews, just whoever enrolled was accepted.
BTW, I just realized that gender issues are much more than being able to get the post you (a woman) wants. Down deep inside their hearts most Polish staying home full time mothers feel inferior in comparison to working mothers. It is widely believed here that a woman must cope with having a full time job and raising children. If she doesn't , well, she's not good enough. I know the officially not many people, even mothers, will admit it but I've benn full-time mother, half-time mother and a student and an employee and now full-time mother and -time mother - so I've benn there, I've seen it with my own eyes.
Some more stuff later - I mean historical persepctive - I've got to go.

[Jaga]

Zooba,

maybe we need more Polish boys here in America. In my daughter kindergarden class they have 8 boys and the rest are girls - altogether maybe 20-22 kids.

In America, especially in the region where I live there are many mothers who do not work outside the house. But these mothers have often many kids, the family in America are much bigger than in Poland. But this trend is changing and more and more women go back to work if not immediately after giving birth to the child - a couple of years later

[aadam]

hanna said:

It is after all a democracy, and its THEIR choise, their view of what is freedom, that they decide to carry out this way.

I think that you are shooting in your own foot, Hanna. If thyat was only the question of democrqacy then why bother about democratic countries that are so very much retarded in their way to what you call "They will have to learn from progressive examples like the Norwegian one.". What is more I do not understand how do you intend to progressively force the unprogressive (and private) corporation boards to employ more women.

[hanna]

I dont quite follow you with who or what is supposedly retarded there but...

They will have to learn from progressive examples like the Norwegian one.

...all I mean by that is that sooner or later they will in some way have to get more women into the company boards because it will be economically profitable ("learn"). The spendings of women on all kinds of products and services in the community worldwide is rapidly increasing, and company boards will need people who understand female consumption patterns. Boards with both men and women will in that way be superior, and have an advantage economically.

Also if society spends a lot of money on educating women, and then because of old prejudism cannot use this asset to its full, its an economic failure. This is my opinion, therefore I call the Norwegian model progressive. There can also be other progressive ways to deal with this issue, but nobody has presented such (working models in practice today) yet. I stand by my opinion that the Norwegian public sector companies where this is in practice already are the most progressive in the world today in many ways; they work very well and people in Norway seem content with how they work. If people in Saudi Arabia, Russia or America because of their cultural background do not want gender quota boards it is their choise. (I do not like it, but its not my place to force them to do it differently. All I can do is show them an option that works very well in Norway. Its one of the richest countries in the world, there are practically no poor people, theres heathcare and education free for every citizen, high technology, clean cities, crime is low, free speech, free elections, they top the statistics on development etc...IMO if this kind of thinking has managed all that, I think they are quite progressive and also succesful in it.)

Time will tell if Norway´s model for private companies works well or not, and if it will be copied by others.