Friday Reads

This is as good a reason as any why women shouldn't bother getting married and having kids.  The "caretaking" and shitwork never end.

What a crappy existence:

“These findings reveal the full extent to which gender inequalities persist into older age,” said lead author Fiona Samuels, senior research fellow with the ODI’s gender equality and social inclusion programme.

“The social expectations on women to simply get on with unpaid domestic and care work are putting them under increasing strain and limiting their life choices.”

The researchers found that in Ethiopia, one of the countries where field research was conducted, household chores have a shaping influence on how older women structure their days.

Women interviewed for the project spoke of a relentless cycle of household tasks – cooking, cleaning, washing – as well as physically demanding duties such as collecting water and firewood. When they become too old to carry these items, many women simply resort to dragging them.

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What used to be called "home economics" classes in middle and high schools still exist and are inclusive of both boys and girls, but it is still on the decline in public schools.  The character of it is much different now than when I was in school, which was grooming girls--and it was always girls--into being future wives and mothers.  I hated that shit with a passion because I knew even then I was never, ever going to be a domestic servant.
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The result of the Paradise fire is just horrific.  So far 71 people have died, and over 1,000 unaccounted for.

Many animals also perished, but many were fortunately rescued.
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