Reasoned Debate!

[di]

Pumpkin??? You lucky bag, mine were both concrete footballs!

[binley100]

Going back to the female nurse doing the mammogram ..........yup mine was done by a female nurse but then my consultant was male so that sort of cancelled that out .........I had a female midwife but stitches were done by a male Doc .........who cares ? In those things you leave your dignity at the door on the way in and collect it again on the way out .........

[Hilary B]

There are jobs for which it is MORE COMMON to find the necessary skills in one gender than the other, there are none for which it is EXCLUSIVE.
When it comes to nursing, if a elderly woman (or a woman brought up in an old-fashioned atmosphere) is worried about being helped by a male nurse, her feelings should count, because fretting her avoidably cannot help her health (and similarly for a man who has a definite preference for a male nurse for similar reasons), but there will be times when preferences have to be overruled by practicality.

[salome2001]

I have to say given the choice, I personally don't think men should be Midwives. I know a lot of people wouldn't agree with me but personally, I even found examinations by female Midwifes very intrusive during the birth process, so I can't begin to imagine how I would have felt going through it all if it was a male Midwife. .

What is different about a male obstetrician?
Personally, by 36 hours into my labour I couldn't have cared if there was a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker down there as long as they got the baby moving

[Potstubsdustbins]

There is one thing that is very gender specific a man would find it very hard to join in this conversation and add anything worthwhile.
I even managed to miss my sons birth, not my fault of course SWMBO got the time line all wrong.LOL

From what I have been told it went something like. 10-30am-ish labour pains begin, phone my Dad for lift to hospital and to take care of the dog. 11-00am I am in Lincoln and advised by my boss what is happening start the drive back to Nottm. 11-30am-ish Dad & SWMBO arrive at hospital. SWMBO tells Dad to look after the dog and walks into hospital on her own. NOON son is born. 12-20pm I arrive at hospital to find empty bed and cot. Hold down the panick ask nurse for info. SWMBO gone for shower, baby in nursery. 10 minutes later she walks down the corridor gives me a kiss and asks where the heck where you?

And when I left for work that morning at 9am there was no sign of anything going to happen.

Colin

[OverWyreGrower]

Quite a lot of my smears have been done by male Drs, my cardiologist is a man (and I've had to get topless in front of him )

Actually having a man looking 'down there' is the same as having a female looking 'down there'... it's when you end up with a male Dr, a female Dr, 2 female nurses and a desklamp shining 'down there' when you start to get worried....

Besides, they've seen it all before - and probably much worse!

Yes, there are some jobs men can do better than women - I haven't got the physical strength to change a tyre, for example, and I'd be rubbish on a building site, cos I can't lift heavy stuff - but equally, there are jobs that women are often naturally better at than men...

[VirginVegGrower]

Pumpkin??? You lucky bag, mine were both concrete footballs!

Just a football...count yourself lucky and try a pumpkin, winning the village show...this could go on forever.

[VirginVegGrower]

I didn't know THAT was where pumpkins came from! Was it an Atlantic Giant?

Second one felt like it, but she's teeny tiny now!

[FionaH]

Going back to the female nurse doing the mammogram ..........yup mine was done by a female nurse but then my consultant was male so that sort of cancelled that out .........I had a female midwife but stitches were done by a male Doc .........who cares ? In those things you leave your dignity at the door on the way in and collect it again on the way out .........

You utter ratbag, that was exactly what I was gonna say

[petal]

hmm, I have thought of something, the 'wielder of the rotavator'- hands up any girlies who can do this job? Even I have to pass on that one.

[zazen999]

Yes, there are some jobs men can do better than women - I haven't got the physical strength to change a tyre, for example, and I'd be rubbish on a building site, cos I can't lift heavy stuff - but equally, there are jobs that women are often naturally better at than men...

Sorry Shelley - but it's just because you aren't practised [even men use pneumatic tools these days, you don't need much strength to change a tyre], and building materials are broken down into smaller loads these days once off the lorry. Alot of people think it's ultra hard graft on building sites but it's more repetitive skills than heavy lifting. A month of building that strength up and I'm sure you'd be well away.

[zazen999]

hmm, I have thought of something, the 'wielder of the rotavator'- hands up any girlies who can do this job? Even I have to pass on that one.

Yup; I picked up [in my Nissan Navara] a rotavator; me and Mr Z unloaded it, I took it to our garden, rotavated [it was grass, and 5 springs ago just before the 3 months of rain, where the clay was bone dry - we had to get water off the canal just to soak the soil before it would churn it] - I rotavated on the Easter Friday, Saturday and Sunday - and took it back on the Tuesday morning before work.

It's all in the mind mostly - girls think that they can't do something and are scared to walk into big scarey places where the testosterone is kicking and just tell themselves it's not for them. When in reality - it just needs a little practice.

When I worked at CITB we had a team building day where one of the games was to go on the big machines around an assault course....I drove one of these [below left] round and when I leaped out at the end I asked how many ticker tapes I'd hit. The 2 trainers stood there dumbfounded and said 'none - do you want a job?'.

It's all in the mind....

[zazen999]

Are there any gender specific jobs roles?
Are there any jobs that only women or men should/could do?

Yes. If the penis, vagina or breasts are part of the job, then evidently - only a man or woman can do it.

Most jobs do not utilise the penis, vagina or breasts. Hence; technically - there are few jobs that are gender specific.

The rest is personal preference or societal construct.

[donnakebab]

hmmm......

I hasten to add that what he means is that as I have got older my opinions are more like my Father's and not my looks...I hope.

[donnakebab]

Years ago I got so fed up of OH not doing odd jobs about the house (He's a builder so I thought he has the knowledge, the tools and the ability to do a much better and faster job than me.) that I gathered a collection of tools together and started doing bits and pieces myself. I always did the decorating anyway cos he's s**t at that. When I was 6 months pregnant he taught me to saw wood and use an electric drill. I fitted a curtain track and laid a carpet in the nursery to be. I was nest building and it gave me great satisfaction to get the job done.

I have unblocked sinks, been his plasterers labourer and decorator on various jobs. However, my collection of tools have disappeared cos he's took them to work or hidden them in his monstrosity of a shed to the extent that even he doesn't know where anything is. I can't afford to replace the tools (he would only do the same again anyway) so I'm a bit of a frustrated DIYer.

His input around the house is zero unless something is interfering with his general comfort. He hates gardening, which I don't mind cos I love it, and so far his input on my lottie has been a shed with no roof. He has the stuff to do it but not the motivation. I wish he wouldn't start thing he can't be asked to finish.

I draw the line at putting a roof on the shed. I did think about putting an old tent over the top but I'm guessing that wouldn't last long either. Anyway, I'm only just over 5ft tall and I really wouldn't have the strength to do the roof with the materials we have.

Any advice please.