Yours Sincerely
You should all be a leader, be courageous and strong,
be pretty, pure and proud.
But girls don’t be; bossy, self-assured, or pushy,
Or a slut, or frigid or pretentious.
Be organised and efficient,
Be loyal and truthful.
But girls don’t be; high maintenance or a nag,
Or clingy or bitchy.
Be intelligent
Be bold.
But girls don’t be a know it all,
Or loud or gobby.
Yours sincerely,
Double standards.
I wrote this poem about double standards in society and as this coming Thursday, the 8th March, is international women’s day I thought now would be the ideal time to share it.
(International men’s day is on the 19th November for anyone wondering)
This year it is especially important as it marks 100 years since the Representation of the People act (1918) was passed. This meant that the vote was extended to women – it allowed women over the age of 30 with certain property qualifications to vote.
Women’s rights have come a long way since then and the day supports their rights in politics. Yet there is still more to improve that movements, such as #metoo, are promoting.
Even in politics the ratio from men to women is still on the road to improvement. This year a new record has set the 32% of MPs that were elected to the house of commons were women- obviously this is still not equal.
The global pay gap still stands at 23% although in the UK it is even narrower at 14%.
So here’s to campaigns raising awareness and continually improving for women’s rights. Let us continue to progress to a society of equal rights with no double standards.