Swings and roundabouts
There is a gender imbalance at the Palace of Bundance. One against four, me against them.There is often a sense of the adversarial in the matter... And that makes me rather sad.
I try very hard to set the best example I can. Not sighing, rolling my eyes and saying "boys" when there is chaos and noise. Encouraging and instructing them in the traditionally female tasks. Teaching them to look after themselves, and pointing out and correcting slips into casual sexism and objectification.
But I fear it isn't enough. Not by a long chalk.
Of the five of us, I'm the one who makes most of the choices on domestic matters and actually does most of the work. I'm not complaining about how or why that happens (not in this post anyway) it's just how it is in our house and, I suspect, many others.
But how, if that's the example I'm setting, can I blaze a trail of equality for my future men to follow? What else can I do?
I want my boys to grow into a world where men and women are valued equally - at work and elsewhere.
I want them to be given the same respect as their female peers, and vice versa.
I'd like them to be shocked by casual sexism in the same way I am. And for it to be as blindingly wrong as racism and homophobia.
Sexism still sickens me - yet I wonder if I'm failing in the fight against it.
