Letter: 'Oppressed' but successful women

David Miller London E15
Saturday 14 November 1998 20:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

HOW LONG must we endure this continuing moaning from women? Your four-page special "What's next for women?" (8 November) still treats women as injured and oppressed where in fact they have significant advantages in many areas.

According to your list of "worrying trends", young men are more likely to be the victims of violence, more likely to use drugs, more likely to abuse alcohol and less likely to get A-levels.

You cite pay differentials of pounds 4.51 versus pounds 4.77 and suggest that this is evidence of discrimination, then in the same sentence you say that men get paid more because they work longer hours.

As a gender with higher employment rates, higher average qualifications, fewer drug problems, lower suicide rates, less homelessness, less violent lives, lower prison rates, and which spends more money (given by men who work overtime) in shops, you can see that it is hard to believe that women are "oppressed".

It is men we should start helping, men who, due to their own conditioning, can not ask for that help. Men who instead abuse alcohol and kill themselves and each other, and end up sleeping on the streets, emotionally crippled and silently suffering.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in