Woman's Hour

It is more than 50 years since undergraduates started to study computing.

I was in the first year of students at my university to study computer science in 1964. We were all third year students who had done two years of maths. We were tacght programming in Algol and a low-level language called KDF9 autocode, along with numerical analysis. Previously at our university there had only been an MSc or PgDip course open to graduates in maths, physics or engineering.

There were quite a few girls on our course, but I can't remember how many.

Since then I've had to re-learn programming many times - and I still don't like computers!

I have sited through thousands of CVs of software engineers and I'd estimate about 2% are from women and most of them are Indian.

JessM I am astonished and disappointed to read that and hope that it isn't true that women are being excluded from or avoiding certain professions. It is 50 years ago this year that the first degree course in computing science was set up in this country and the first students comprised ten men and one woman. However, the balance in subsequent years became more even. So I am very surprised to hear that there are not more women working in these fields in 2015.

Likewise with medicine, where the balance is slightly in favour of women (for which science subjects are the obvious A level requirement).
And there seem to be many more women scientists these days compared to years ago.

Perhaps engineering just does not appeal to many women? Although it can be an interesting, well-paid career with many different areas to choose from.

m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/5363720
I got my info here . I didn't say razor blades I said razors.

Yes, duff information from suzied.

They have full rate vat on them.

Men's razors aren't tax free.

Iam64, then the logical alternative to sanitary wear is none at all - not very pleasant!

suzied I'm pretty certain we did have a thread challenging the behaviour of the men harrassing the young woman. And it certainly isn't only women who get trolled online. There are some nasty people out there of whichever sex.

Ana, I think the alternative to a razor is called a beard. Many young men are sporting beards at the moment.

Markark1 - You seem to be rather nastily trying to put a number of other women posting on this thread, in their place.

Well, I suppose it could be argued that there isn't an effective alternative to a razor for shaving, whereas in theory women could (and indeed have done in the past) use all sorts of alternatives to commercially-produced sanitary products. Tampons have only been available relatively recently, after all.

Very soon women of childbearing age will make themselves unemployable.
Anyway I give up.Never in my life have I ever felt victimised by a male,or inferior in anyway.Although I have dealt with some very nasty women.I would soon put them in their place.

I didn't know that suzied, that men's razors are tax fee because they're necessities, whereas sanitary towels are luxuries. You couldn't make it up could you.

Men haven't learned to behave differently though, have they suzied?

It seems that the more advances women make in the struggle for equality in the workplace etc. the more they are subjected to hate campaigns such as the one you mention and the more certain men seek to denigrate and abuse them.

BTW men's razors are tax free as the are deemed " necessities , unlike sanitary towels which are " luxuries"

Yes women can in theory do any job etc, but there is still sexism and inequality and this is what today's feminists are challenging. Those women mentioned by the OP who campaigned for women on banknotes etc received rape and death threats online, because they are women, is that ok or shouldn't we challenge this? There was an interesting video posted on line recently of a woman walking down a street in daylight hours, dressed in jeans and a jumper being harassed and leered at, followed, and had suggestive remarks made to her. Surely we should be challenging this? It's not acceptable and men can learn to behave differently...it's not just good enough to say it's "biological", Some remarks on here sound like they are out of the 1950s. Surely anyone who believes in equality is a "feminist"? That's men as well as women.

Is there VAT on loo rolls (everybody), X boxes (boys), make- up (women)? VAT is something else not dependent on gender.

I'm a feminist, but am also a squeamish ninny, so don't care for graphic protests such as this one. And really, I think we should choose our battles. Men and hairy women have to pay standard VAT on razor blades, after all.

True Ana. As they say, pick your battles.

I agree Katek. And I don't think the aim of the women concerned was to challenge any taboos, they were just using shock tactics to make their point.

It might have had some relevance if they were campaigning for sanitary protection to be provided free to all women...

We also have a taboo about adults messing themselves in public. Do we challenge that as well or are some things better kept to ourselves? We all know that menstruation happens - I don't think we need a socking great arrow pointing to it.

Here's an interesting link about efforts to increase girls participation in STEM subjects
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/12001536/Meet-the-engineer-inspiring-young-women-to-enter-STEM.html

There is a huge menstrual taboo in this country which means that women feel obliged to go to some lengths to conceal the fact that they are menstruating. It would be unusual for instance for someone to have a box of tampons on their desk in the office.
I think anyone who is brave enough to challenge such taboos is very brave.

We once had some young Russian girls staying with us and they brought their own sanitary protection - pieces of rags.
I think they rinsed them out after use , maybe burnt them on the fire. We used to burn used sanitary towels.

I think it is as much the principle that is important as the amount saved by abolishing VAT on sanitary protection.

Just had a quick look online and Tesco sell 20 tampons for 88p and Asda for £1.00. Hardly a huge vat saving were it to be removed.

I found the 'free bleeding' action quite off putting. Many others I know were disgusted or even repulsed. I think it may have the opposite effect to the one intended and this is where extreme actions of any 'ism' can backfire.

Not being able to afford sanitary protection is one thing, but as a box of 32 tampons costs around £2.00 of which the VAT element is 10p most women would only save £1.20 a year if the VAT was abolished.