Tuesday, December 09, 2008

What a girl can't do

Tagged by Pareltank

DB, Tunisian - My kid's six months old now. No, my husband doesn't work - my job's enough for the both of us now. Someone has to stay home and take care of our baby.

AE, Saudi - You're not getting married for another two years? That's too long, man! I'm getting married in two months - can't wait! No more cleaning rooms, ironing clothes, cooking meals - you get someone to do it all for you!

AR, Indian - Oh well, it's one thing whether your husband says it up to you whether you still want to work after getting married. I wouldn't want to get married to someone who feels its OK to give up my job and relocate where he is if it's OK with me. Doesn't that mean he pretty much doesn't care?

MB, Sudanese - It's really tough to manage women, my friend! Before they get married they seem accomodating and understanding. And then once you're married, suddenly there's this big career complex - about who's working and why there should be any sacrifice on either side. And then a kid comes along - and complicates matters even more!

FF, Omani - Nah, it's really not fair to ask her to quit her job and come here to Saudi. What's she going to do here? If I don't get a transfer out of here I'll probably just quit this job and take up a peaceful government job somewhere in my little town.

Notes:

1. I made this post the way it is to bring out one thing I realized - people's views on feminism are part of the life they've seen growing up, part of their culture and tradition. As cultures and traditions change, so do these views. However, I can never claim that one person's view is the entire country's view - they're not even a sample space. And while you have your own view, to some extent all of us are influenced by what people who are part of this sample space think.

2. All these lines are from real-life conversations - none of them are made up. :)

3. FF is now happily married and settled in Oman, running a private business with a few of his pals. His wife is a computer engineer.

4 comments:

kochuthresiamma p .j said...

oh that i were born in tunisia:-)that indian friend of yours seems very complicated - sounds like someone out of mills & boon!
chands, clever as usual. very evasive post. what do YOU think?

Unknown said...

@ammai: oops! was afraid it would sound evasive! if you want MY take - in short - am a feminist and have always been. but i have no respect for those who say "women can do everything as well as, if not better, than men" - why go there? that's not gender equality!
and also - like what i said in the post - my opinion is not entirely mine... it's a little bit of what you grow up and live with!
the tunisian is part french-american as well so now her comment probably makes more sense :)
lol at the mills n boon line! she's quite sensible actually [grin]

H.S. said...

Nice:)
But hey! you need to mention the sex of the initial-led people.It gets a little confusing otherwise :)

Unknown said...
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