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Island Living 365

Does being female mean that we all have a responsibility to parent?

September 23, 2016

a lady in a blue dress looking pensive and she is wearing a hat

 

There I was thinking that Jamie Oliver had been quiet recently. Perhaps, I mused to myself, he has realised the errors of his ways after his very inappropriate and misjudged comments about breastfeeding. A subject in which he presented himself as being an expert, despite the fact that he doesn’t actually own a pair of boobs. This is good, I thought, I can go back to liking Jamie for what he does best, creating yummy and delicious recipes for the whole family. Now, creating recipe books really is his area of expertise and I should know as I nearly have every cookery book of his. I should rename my cookery book shelf the Jamie Oliver shelf as they are predominately his books. Actually, if I don’t stop buying his books I will be opening the Jamie Oliver library. Luckily, Jamie has ensured that this will never happen as he has only gone and opened his considerable mouth again! Now, instead of a library I am thinking of chucking all my Jamie Oliver cookery books onto the fire. Perhaps I could do this on November 5th and have my very own version of bonfire night, a Jamie Oliver bonfire.

 

a close-up of a big bonfire where you can see the flames

 

Why am I so cross at Oliver? Jamie took it upon himself to chide Teresa May, you know, the lady who runs the country. The Prime Minister. Yes, but that’s not what Jamie is focussing on. No, he is focusing on the fact that Theresa should be acting like a parent. Hmmm. Apparently, Jamie seems to think that Theresa is “letting every child in Britain down”. Every child. Jamie then rounds off his ill-judged outburst with the line

 

“I wanted her to act not like a politician, but a parent”.

 

I might be wrong here, but it is not Theresa May’s job to act as a parent to the country. It is her job to run the country. I find myself wondering if Jamie Oliver is perhaps a little sexist. Would he have said the same thing to David Cameron? I doubt it. Why do we continually see women that are in power questioned over their reproductive systems? This has nothing to do with the job as Prime Minister! Also, for the record, Jamie, Theresa doesn’t actually have children. But I understand, she is female and, therefore, you are making the assumption she should be parenting us all. Perhaps, you would like her to pay a visit to you all in Chez Oliver and do a Mary Poppins act. Would you like her to look after your children? Clean up those dirty dishes? Make you a packed lunch? Females are stereotyped in the role of mothering.  In recent weeks we have seen Nicola Sturgeon revealing that she had a miscarriage. Something that she felt forced to reveal after the constant intrusive questioning. We never see this level of questioning aimed at male politicians.

 

Even today there is this constant inference that a woman really shouldn’t be in a high-powered job. No, really we should all be putting our reproductive systems to good use and churning out babies. That’s our role in our society. It baffles society when some women actually choose not to have a baby. Then some women choose to go and land high-powered jobs because they just happen to the best qualified for the job, well that’s really not on. We are told that childless woman are “weird” and that ambitious women are “ruthless” and “cold”.  Society just can’t accept it, instead they choose to focus on their reproductive system. There is a general needling of women that they are somehow inferior and shouldn’t have a position of power. When Jamie Oliver thinks it is his place to chide the Prime Minister for not parenting the country, then we know that we have a problem. Yes, we might not agree with her obesity strategy but we don’t tell her off for not parenting the country! Theresa May is here to run the country. It’s not her job to tuck us in at night; it’s not her job to read us nice stories. It’s her job to run the country and sometimes that will involve her making decisions that we don’t like, decisions that we don’t understand. However, I have to trust in her ability to run the country and parenting us has nothing to do with it.

 

Perhaps I should be more forgiving of Jamie. I mean, he is just a product of our society. He has just been brought up in a society that teaches men that their opinions are the most important and that they are far more knowledgeable than any woman, even the woman who is running the country.  He might be a chef but he is also a man and, therefore, we must immediately get down at his food altar and worship every word that comes out of his mouth. He is a man and a man knows best. It just annoys me because Jamie Oliver seems like a man with a good heart. If I were to go down the parent track, I would suggest that as a father to three girls he might want to think about breaking the sexist narrative. The narrative that means a man always knows best. However, I am not going to go down the parenting track and pull that card on him.  I might be a parent but that really doesn’t mean that I know best either. We might be parents but that doesn’t mean we know everything. Jamie, as a parent could be accused of using the parent card too. Jamie is a man and a parent and, therefore, knows everything, obviously. Perhaps it is like Monopoly but with children: the more children you collect, the more qualified you think you are to speak on everything and anything relating to children. Except that can’t be the case as I don’t see Jools sharing her opinions on the matter with the press. Hang-on she’s a woman! Explains it.

 

I don’t want to see Theresa trying to parent us all. I want to see Theresa doing just what she is doing, being assertive, making tough decisions, trying to run what feels like a very broken country. There isn’t time for mopping up tears and putting on plasters. The UK is one big scab at the moment and that might mean that Theresa May has to make some tough decisions, some unpopular decisions but that’s what I want in the Prime Minister. Someone that isn’t afraid to face-up to the terrible mess the UK is in.

 

Jamie, get off your potato box, leave Theresa May alone and let her get on with the important job of running the country. Jamie, you need to get back to your kitchen 😉

 

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Pink Pear Bear

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Filed Under: General, Musings

  1. Bridie By The Sea says

    September 23, 2016 at 8:59 am

    Love this Emma – and couldn’t agree more. It’s disappointing to see how far we have to come in accepting women in the workplace, I experienced that first hand when I was pregnant, male bosses who were alpha male and dismissive were suddenly so happy for me, almost like that was my place – to be starting a family. It makes my blood boil! Let’s hope Jamie gets himself back in the kitchen and stays there Xx PS: the monopoly reference is inspired!

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Haha, thanks and glad you liked the monopoly reference 🙂

  2. Squirmy Popple says

    September 23, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I agree that the same comment would never have been made about a male prime minister. I’m no fan of Theresa May, but you’re right – it’s not her job to parent us. It’s like when people were questioning if Nicola Sturgeon could have become first minister if she’s had kids, but no one would ever ask that question about a male politician.

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      Exactly! It’s rude!

  3. Sarah says

    September 23, 2016 at 6:59 pm

    Ahahaha yes Jamie! Get back in the kitchen where you belong! Xxx

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      haha! Yes!

  4. Single Mum Speaks says

    September 24, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    AGREED. It’s not often I find myself defending Tories, but will everyone please leave Theresa to do her job without constantly referencing her as mother, non-mother or anything else irrelevant!

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      Yep, let her actually get on with her job before you start judging her!

  5. The Tale of Mummyhood says

    September 26, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    Haha, he definitely needs to get back in the kitchen!

    #bigpinklink

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      Haha, he does 🙂

  6. Claire says

    September 26, 2016 at 4:57 pm

    Ugh. This mindset infuriates me. It’s like the recent ridiculousness about Hilary Clintons daughter not taking her kid to day care. Like, it was a big deal the dad took the kid and not the mum, because obviously how dare mum work instead and how could she leave dad in charge, we all know dads aren’t really capable of parenting! rediculous *sigh* xx #bigpinklink

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:21 pm

      Oh I haven’t seen that! That’s outrageous!

  7. Kat says

    September 28, 2016 at 6:38 am

    It’s posts like this that completely reiterate why I’m a feminist. And why, when people say, oh well we don’t really have that problem here do we, I like to bring up. I hate that women are questioned on their choices to have children and are thought to always be completely nurturing and that should come across in their career because a woman can’t possibly just be assertive, just do a great job at what she does, she has to be told that she is cold or doing it wrong. This comment is a complete mumble of what I actually feel, but comments made by men like Jamie Oliver in a position of influence can be incredibly dangerous and just reinforce to us, that we still need feminism, and to others that women should be opressed, belittled, questioned for their choices and decisions and made to feel worthless. #bigpinklink

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      Not a complete mumble of a comment at all! A wonderful and very thought provoking comment, thank you for taking the time 🙂

  8. Louise Pink Pear Bear says

    September 28, 2016 at 8:27 pm

    Oh you do make me laugh!! I suppose it’s just assumed that women have the maternal instinct but why anyone would want to ‘parent’ a country I don’t really understand, that would never be said to a man! This would be a good post for Laura’s effit Friday too! Thanks for linking up with the #bigpinklink

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      September 28, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      Oooh, that’s a good idea 🙂

  9. Emma @ Island Living 365 says

    September 28, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    I love what you say about a female leader touch, being a strong and intelligent woman! I agree!

  10. Tara says

    October 18, 2016 at 3:06 pm

    Yes! Completely agree, there is no way he would EVER have said this about Cameron. Brilliantly written post – I only hope he reads it (not least for his book sales).

    • Emma @ Island Living 365 says

      October 19, 2016 at 7:52 am

      Haha, thank you 🙂

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Hi, I’m Emma

Mum to two girls and wife to Mr C.
We used to live in wild and wonderful Yorkshire on the edge of the moors. We have now moved to the rather lovely and sunny Jersey, Channel Islands. Read about our adventures here.

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