What Women Want # 1 : No Restrictions On Vegetables

NO RESTRICTIONS ON VEGETABLES!

“What we want is understanding and respect,” says Wendy. “Most men labour under ridiculous misconceptions about women, which they are fed by their families, communities and by populist TV programs.”

Wendy is a 34-year old manager with an engineering firm. She leads of team of 11 professionals to provide engineering designs to their customers.

“Why smart, educated men so easily accept and perpetuate senseless and illogical myths and delusions, I can never understand!” Wendy throws her hands up in frustration.

“Just look at this,” she says, typing rapidly on her laptop. She turns the screen to me. “Read this and tell me what you think!”

The 2011 Daily Telegraph article reads :

“CLERIC REPORTEDLY WARNS WOMEN NOT TO HANDLE CUCUMBERS AND BANANAS”

A religious cleric living in Europe reportedly warned women not to get too close to bananas, cucumbers or other produce to avoid having “sexual thoughts.”

The unnamed cleric, whose directive was featured in an article in a religious publication, said that if women wanted to eat these foods, a third party – preferably a male related to them, such as their father or husband – should cut the items into small pieces before serving.

According to the cleric, bananas and cucumbers could arouse women and make them think of sex.

Carrots and zucchini also were added to the cleric’s list of forbidden foods for women.

I looked up at her. Actually, I couldn’t look at her in the eye.

“So?” she challenges.

“I don’t know what to say,” I say, weakly. “Not all men think like this…”

“Of course, I know that!” Wendy shoots back impatiently, “but many do, and their words and insinuations spread like wildfire and taint and poison us!”

“Also,” she continued, “My frustration is not about just one misogynist man spouting nonsense. It is that there are hundreds and thousands like this in all shapes, sizes and colours! Either ‘women are weak’, or ‘women must know their place’, or ‘she is a bitch’, or ‘she is a slut’!”

“Every time I think I know what women go through, I realise that I am not even close.” I say.

WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY!

“You got that right!” she says. “I know you are a seasoned professional, but you haven’t experienced a fraction of what women do. Everything I have expressed is just one grain of sand on an infinitely long beach. And this kind of ‘women are inferior’ attitude impacts us in many ways!”

“One, we make less money for the same work!”

“Two, we pay more money for the same products!”

“Three, we are under-represented in business and government and have no say in most important decisions!”

“I can go on for a long time, but you know all this, Shesh.” Wendy slumps back in her chair.

“I do, Wendy, I do.” I say, earnestly, “The only way to change this unhealthy paradigm is to turn the spotlight on it. People need to know and understand what women go through.”

“I agree,” Wendy says, her face anguished. “It is time that women are recognised for who we are and what we can do. Fifty years ago, Mao Tse Tung said, ‘Women hold up half the sky’. Fifty years later, we are still held down by the glass ceiling and by misogynist men who call us weak and gullible and incapable.”

“Let’s work together to change this, Wendy,” I say, “Let’s stand up and tell the world what women really want.”

“I’ll tell you what I want,” Wendy says, with a sharp glint in her eye, “I want a woman in this cleric’s family to slice his cucumber into small pieces and feed it to him!”

With this disturbing image in mind, I hold my briefcase protectively in front of me, and leave Wendy’s office…

AFTERWORD

We need to break from the chains of the past and create a future that is inclusive and equal and fair.

Don’t stay silent. Please share your views, your criticisms, your comments and your disagreements. Let us start a movement that will shatter past practices and paradigms and lead the way to a better world.

Even the smallest action can make a huge difference in a workplace. What have you done to transform your workplace? Share it in the comments and inspire others!

If you support workplace diversity and inclusion, do like and share the article with those who may benefit from it.

Cheers,

Shesh.

(Singapore / 26 November 2019)

Post Script :

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