Stereotypes

It's a white world again this morning. The difference is that today it's white due to frost. Everything sparkles in the bright winter sunshine.

I've just been listening to the start of "Woman's Hour" on BBC Radio 4 as I've peeled the spuds for today's dinner. They're talking to various male celebrities who also happen to be listeners to this programme. The host seems surprised so many men listen to a "woman's" programme.

I'm left wondering whether there is, or ever has been, items of interest purely to one sex & not the other. Maybe I speak as a girl who loved her dumper truck as a child, envied boys for their train sets & meccano sets, all generally regarded as of interest only to boys. As for my brother, I think he was relieved when Action Men came in & he could legitimately show an interest in dolls.

As for reading matter, for generations the ladies' page of papers have been littered with articles on fashion & cooking, as though women can't be interested in science & politics.

Another part of my deprived childhood was being told that "Treasure Island" & "Kidnapped", those classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, were for boys only. I did enjoy the girls' allotted diet of "Little Women" etc, but I yearned for other things too. I made up for it later. Even now, I'm dubious about many romances & would much prefer a romping adventure story or a detective mystery.

As far as I can remember of the subjects covered in "Woman's Hour" this year, the only one of probably little interest to men was how to buy a well fitted bra. Even that I can believe may be of interest to some. After all, some men are lone parents who have to sort out the first bras for their growing daughters. The programme did cover testicular cancer, something I'm unlikely to suffer, but it was nonetheless of interest in case symptoms might arise in the Fox. I suspect men react in a similar way to topics such as hysterectomies.

No. I do not believe any topic is purely of interest to one sex. I do accept, though, not all subjects are of interest to all people. I accept I do fall into the stereotype of women not interested in engines & cars. As long as equipment works & cars get me from A to B, that is the end of my interest. But don't deprive me of the right to possibly have a greater interest in those or any other subjects just because I'm female. I'm equally sure men have the right to have an interest in some traditionally female areas of interest.