The council have annoyed, nay - riled, me. Yes, the tax is extortionate and okay, sometimes they leave the bins un-emptied,
but that’s not it. They've reminded me that it’s 2013 and women are not equal
to men.
In my home, I deal with the
bills. I set up the accounts, organise the direct debits and pay the blasted
things. So why, dear reader, will the council only write to The Boyfriend?
I call them up.
“Hi, I’d like to update the
details you have on my account.”
“Okay.”
“I think you just have my
partner’s details.”
Checks.
“Oh no, you’re down too.”
“Oh right, well could you
possibly use my name on the correspondence, just because I sort the bills?"
“Oh I’m sorry it’ll just go
to him by default.”
“Okay. Well could you override
the default and send the bills to me please?”
“We have you on record.”
“Yes, but the letters are
going to him, and it would be helpful if they were addressed to me.”
“Sorry, I can’t change
that.”
I asked if he thought this
wasn’t utterly ridiculous. He thought I was a raving lunatic.
“Your bills are going to
the right address though aren’t they?” he added, as if this was the point.
And so it is that everyday
sexism continues.
Now, don’t get me wrong, thanks to the efforts of those who have gone
before us, women and men in
Britain have equal voting rights, freedom of speech, property rights, access to
education and health care equality. Super news indeed. But are men and women
equal? Are they heck.
Men outnumber women four to
one in parliament. How many women
lead powerful countries? It’s a lonely and exclusive group. Just 13% of FTSE 100 corporate board members
are female. And British women are paid 83p for every pound our male
counterparts earn.
And so it is that I am a
feminist in 2013. Feminism is
not about hating men or bra-burning, it’s
about equality.
Which given that I can’t even get the council to send me
(helpless woman am I) the bill, is clearly something that we all still need.
