The Gender Trap – We Still Have A Long Way To Go

The Gender Trap – We Still Have A Long Way To Go

It is evident by recent reports from the seemingly politically correct BBC that equal pay across the genders is still an issue of major contention.

bbc

It is also evident that we seem to be slipping backwards on so many levels of equality, and so how are we going to resolve the problems that still exist in spite of the tireless efforts on behalf of Women in the Workplace from endless campaigns and representation.

A couple of years ago I met a man who on the face of it appeared to be a typical white middle class misogynist – the CEO of a huge American Oil company, incredibly wealthy and with a multitude of Republican associates.   It shocked me rigid when I was introduced to him and he told me that his Company, which was one of the most powerful in the World, displayed its first Recruitment Ad saying ‘We welcome any creed, colour or gender, as long as you can do the Job’. This was back in the 1950s when women were expected to stay at home and look after the kids – but this revolutionary thinking gave birth to one of the most successful companies in the USA, and he believes that it was this diverse thinking was a huge part of its growth.

Women at Boardroom level is still a minority, with a lot of women resigning at around 35 after having kids, finding it too much of a strain, with the lack of support from employers being another factor as part of the statistic.

It has been proven that the presence of women at board level is a huge advantage, with female energy being identified as a positive amongst the abundance of male testosterone.

For those of us who are struggling with the constant juggling act of having a young family and forging a career, there are some brilliant organisations springing up in support of women who want to carry on working or change career, perhaps having had an idea or aspiration to set up their own business these may support and encourage you to do just that. http://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/ and www.FemaleEntrepreneurOrganisation.com are two that I would highly recommend, and have advice, ways of developing and monetising your idea or existing company.

On the positive side, many women have found having kids has spurred them on to set up their own business or even their own franchise to enable them to work from home, so that they can take part in the school run and be there when their kids come home from school.

We met the founder of an excellent organisation called Creation Station, who we will be interviewing shortly. Sarah Cressall has built her successful franchise whilst bringing up her three sons, with support from her husband, who is also working full time. So she is a living example of making it against the odds. Check it out on thecreationstation.co.uk – it is an incredible Company with arts and crafts lessons and children’s’ parties and entertainers.

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So we can see that both single parents and those with partners who are happy to share the child care to give them a chance for equality can seize exciting opportunities if they are willing to push the boundaries.

But why does it have to be so hard for women? It does seem that we take one step forward and several in the opposite direction where equal pay is concerned. I do feel that it was a great move forward however and extremely revealing, to learn about the recent pay discrepancy within our most revered public institution, which has confirmed that we still have a long way to go to bridge the gender pay gap. More on that subject coming soon on Glotime.tv

http://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/

www.FemaleEntrepreneurOrganisation.com

thecreationstation.co.uk

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Do You Believe in Ghosts – A Real Life Spiritual Encounter

Do You Believe in Ghosts – A Real Life Spiritual Encounter

As the biggest cynic on the Planet, I was always the first to send up any mention of a spiritual encounter or a tale of a ghostly kind. So imagine my amazement when we bought our first house in France in the charming town of Montargis, and felt an eerie presence in the downstairs living room.

My partner and I had always dreamed of owning a property in France, and so on one of our holidays touring the country, we stumbled upon a charming little house going for only £24,000.

It was the late nineties, and we felt confident that if we acquired the bijou abode, just 60 or so miles from Paris, that we could transform it into something very special, have fun in the process and eventually sell it on for a good profit.

We returned several times to check it out, and was shown around by the local Estate Agent who had bought it for his wife who was a paediatrician and needed premises to practise her profession. So the house had been a place of healing, which felt good to us. What we hadn’t realised initially was that she had recently passed away, and so the house still held a lot of memories for the Agent and their son who was then in his early twenties.

We exchanged contracts and almost immediately began to renovate the house with the help of a couple of interior designer friends who had offered to help us at a fraction of their normal rate in return for a change of location and good company.

The first night my partner and I slept downstairs on a mattress we had brought with us in a van we had hired, and we had actually managed to make it very cosy – with the weather being quite warm as it was Summer.

In the middle of the night I woke up and felt someone was in the room. I quickly woke up my partner, and we both laid very still and felt the presence but didn’t actually see or hear anything. We were both too scared to put the light on, but listened in the dark, and there was nothing, but the feeling remained.

The next day we decided not to say anything to our colleagues, as we didn’t want to influence them into thinking the house was haunted. Also, we had consumed a few glasses of the local wine before going to bed and so felt in the cold light of day, that it could have been a figment of our imagination.

I was searching through the paperwork attached to the house, when I discovered that the previous owner had been called Jackie, which is my name and she was exactly the same age as me when she died a couple of years before. I quickly closed the file, and decided to ignore it, but was feeling a bit uneasy.

The next day the wife of of the Designer couple had been working on the walls downstairs, and she came up to the middle floor as white as a sheet. She said that she didn’t know how to tell us, and in fact felt uneasy about imparting the information, but was sure she had felt and seen an outline of a woman in the room where we had felt the presence.

The hairs were beginning to stand up on the back of our necks, and so after copious glasses of wine that night we decided not to sleep in the downstairs room but take our duvets to the loft and left the couple to sleep in the middle bedroom.

The next day we had to go into town to buy some materials, and so I went to the local library and looked up the history of the house and the area where we had our new home. I discovered that a tunnel was running from our house, and under the houses in the road to the Castle on the hill, where prisoners had been guillotined on many occasions. Perhaps this was the clue to our ghostly encounter.

The following day I decided to buy some incense and light candles and talk to the spirits in the house, and tell them in the nicest possible way to move on into the next life, which I had picked up from some random TV show or novel. So I was clutching at straws – or so I thought.

As I was practising my first ‘exorcism’ my partner brought me a silhouette painting of a woman he had found as he was taking down a wall, and it was a picture of Jackie – it was as if she was sending me a message. I then knew it was her that was trapped, still thinking she was here to heal children and probably not realising she had passed. I also felt there was a reason I had been attracted to the house, and that I had been drawn to it to enable her to pass over to the other side.

It took several attempts before the spirit left the house, and yes, she did eventually go. I painted Jackie a picture of happy children, spoke to her, lit candles and burned incense every day for a week before she finally went, and as far as I know she did not return.

We sold the house several years ago after we had renovated it and had many happy times there, but the ghostly encounter will stay with me for the rest of my life, and one thing for sure, I will never again question anyone who says they have seen a ghost.

 

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THE BIG WHITE WASH – EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE ALL WHITE

THE BIG WHITE WASH – EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE ALL WHITE

We had our Fashion Police out ‘White’ spotting, and as this is definitely the season of the ‘All Whites’, so have got some lovely high street grabs for you if you want to don the ‘demure’. A couple of lovely kids’ white dresses for parties and proms too.

But let us not forget the classic white shirt, you can add a tie to make it a ‘White Tie’ look, and we have also found a gorgeous Love Heart Shirt to wow the onlookers.

JESSICA WRIGHT – LILLI MIDI DRESS – £75

http://www.very.co.uk/jessica-wright-lilli-midi-dress-white/1600186834.prd

 

RIVER ISLAND – LONG SLEEVE BARDOT DRESS – £45

http://www.very.co.uk/river-island-long-sleeve-bardot-dress/1600164266.prd

 

RIVER ISLAND – MINI – GIRLS WHITE PETAL PROM DRESS – £22

http://www.very.co.uk/river-island-mini-girls-white-detail-prom-dress/1600181172.prd

 

SUPERDRY – GEO LACE MIX SKATER DRESS – £55

http://www.very.co.uk/superdry-geo-lace-mix-skater-dress/1600168720.prd

 

MINI V BY VERY – TODDLER GIRLS PRETTY LACE FRILL DRESS £28 TO £30

http://www.very.co.uk/mini-v-by-very-toddler-girls-pretty-lace-frill-sleeve-occasion-dress/1600127684.prd

 

SOUTH BEACH CROCHET – £22

http://www.very.co.uk/south-beach-crochet-low-back-tassel-beach-dress-white/1600182933.prd

 

LITTLE WHITE LIES – LOVE HEART SHIRT – NOW £25.60

http://www.very.co.uk/little-white-lies-love-heart-shirt-white/1600136179.prd

all prices correct at time of publishing

 

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