Attitudes like this make it unsurprising that only 17% of of small business in the UK are owned by women. Writing in The Guardian's Women in Leadership section Anne McPherson points out what a huge loss this is for the UK: "Not only is this a real opportunity for our economy if we can encourage more women to set up businesses, but our own polling of female entrepreneurs shows that those women who do make the leap and start their own business report a greatly improved work-life balance, increased confidence levels and the type of job flexibility that make them never want to work for someone else."
Image: Search Engine People Blog
Everybody but me seems to have an OKCupid account and an office sweepstake on the reality TV show The Apprentice. Actually one of the offices I work in has an Apprentice sweepstake I could be part of but I have never seen the show, and I wasn't in on the day the sweepstake was started, and I don't bet (it's just tricking you into doing maths). Without having even seen the show I can tell you from eavesdropping on the train that there's a 'crazy bitch' in it. In fact all the women in it are, apparently 'crazy bitches' it is just that some have mitigating hotness.
Attitudes like this make it unsurprising that only 17% of of small business in the UK are owned by women. Writing in The Guardian's Women in Leadership section Anne McPherson points out what a huge loss this is for the UK: "Not only is this a real opportunity for our economy if we can encourage more women to set up businesses, but our own polling of female entrepreneurs shows that those women who do make the leap and start their own business report a greatly improved work-life balance, increased confidence levels and the type of job flexibility that make them never want to work for someone else."
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Mother Hen Image: Mr J Shaft
Recently, I've been having extended dialogue with dedicated feminists. Or rather, I've been having lengthy coffees with women who considered themselves career feminists before they had an accident with their Pill. They were going to change the world; we chained ourselves to courthouses together while at university to protest the horrendous violence perpetrated against women in South Africa (where we went to university). And then they found themselves pregnant, and away from the great academic role models we used to grill about the meaning of life. It's not that their pregnancies were the result of violent assault; most were the result of a loving, long-term relationship. It's not that they don't love their kids. But the feminist theory we devoured as students never mentioned motherhood, certainly not in a positive light. Come to think of it, they never mentioned marriage without scorn and derision either, despite the health benefits associated with the institution. It is what separates us from the animals. Magazine reading. How would we be able to signal our lifestyle, or lifestyle aspirations, to our fellow commuters or local newsagent if we didn't purchase the occasional copy of Vanity Fair. But sometimes we are constricted in our choice by the powers what be at WHSmiths or Tesco et al because no matter how many times these companies recieve a tweet with a damning photo and the hashtag #everydaysexism they continue to divide magazines into Men's Interest and Women's Interest. In spite of the fact many women like science and motorcycles, while there are men interested in celebrity gossip and beauty tips. What can we say? Newsagents love a binary. So, in the interest of having clear interests well marked and defined we have come up with some new categories for shops to latch on to. Image: Steven Depolo CHRISTMAS IS CANCELLED! Not really, I just wanted to prepare you for the news that end of exams long-standing Cambridge tradition of jelly wrestling has been banned. It is possible that never again shall Cambridge students, high on post exam elation, hear the satisfying slap of flavoured gelatine 'gainst female flesh. Never again shall the squelch of jellied bottom hitting paddling pool plastic ring out across the Wyverns Drinking Society garden party. I know many former Cantabrigians shall sigh sadly, realising the halcyon days they recall of violent jelly based celebrations will not be re-enacted this year. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Konnie Huq and Bill Oddie among them no doubt. You should hear their jelly wrestling stories you really should. Whenever there is an announcement of a well loved or well known book (very different beasts, we all know War and Peace - we all have vague plans to totally read it, but we don't love it) is being made into a film there is always cynicism and excitement. Throw into the mix 'oh yeah and it is going to be needlessly in 3D' and you're courting full blown panic. The Great Gatsby was the most recent of these books to be realised by Baz Luhman. In 3D. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan cast in place of what the book had dredged up from your imagination while reading F. Scott. Fitzgerald's book. It is telling that few previews and news stories about the film have gone without mention of Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda Fitzgerald. He called her the the 'first American flapper' and used her as proof of his expertise on this new trend, which he was frequently quizzed about - instead of any actual flappers being asked about their lifestyle. Because what would they know? With Churchill set to replace social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the nation's fivers when the next set of bank notes is issued in 2016, the queen will be the only woman left on our paper money. (Which presumably means that if Charles becomes King before then, our notes will be a total sausage-fest...). It's not the first time a lady on our cash has been bumped off. The lady with the lamp, Florence Nightingale was replaced by Charles Darwin on the ten pound note so Elizabeth Fry, Quaker and social reformer is all we have representing the ladies right now. This got us thinking about which faces we'd like to see staring back at us when we visit the cash machine or wince as we pay for a round. Today is the 2nd of May which marks 477 years since Anne Boleyn - the sexy but not as sexy as Katherine Howard in the films wife - was arrested and imprisoned on the charges of incest, adultery and treason. We all know Anne Boleyn as the young woman who was more than a pair of breasts to Tudor England and had more up her sleeve than most (sorry, first and last joke about the alleged extra boob and finger)of her rivals for Henry VIII's affections. But we don't tend to think of this woman who bore unto us Elizabeth I, icon to all redheaded girls or becavitied history buff as much more than temporary wife. You might say she set the trend for marrying Henry (Catherine of Aragon did it before it was cool) but what else? |
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