traditions

Eve

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At an event for bloggers and journalists the theme was cheese and gin. The producers (all male) held speeches about their products. When it came to how the gin got its name the producer told a story about the founder who went to Scandinavia and was welcomed there with open arms and the daughter of the house was offered to him as a friendly gesture, apparently back then that was normal, but the man refused. The audience didn’t really react, except one person who said: “But was she pretty?” he himself being the fattest, ugliest guy in the room. There was nervous laughter and the speeches continued. What can you do, what can you reply to a comment like that? Could someone have intervened, told him how sexist his comment was? I don’t think so. Because that’s just the world we live in.

IT-girl

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I am from a very traditional country. The majority of women in my country marry in very early age (18-22) and stop their development. The big persentage of domestic violence. The women’s salary is much more less than men’s. And I began to study programming. And also I wanna delay my marriage till 30 when I will be a good programmer. OMG! What people are telling to me! They are telling I wil regret about my decision. That programming is for men only. That nobody marry me if I am good in Math. That I should look for a good husband coz when I am 25 it’s so late. That God gave a women a gift to be mother and wife and I shouldn’t want more. That women are made by God only for men. That if I have no children in 27, I am unnormal. Media from my country are telling like that and my University teachers. And boys I am studying programming with don’t appreciate my achievement coz I am a girl. I know many girls who couldn’t find a good high tech job in my country. Who couldn’t build any career in it. If a girl goes through IT-company, men are joking about her disability in programming. One IT-college in my country refused to enroll girls coz of their gender. Thanks God, my country has the high level of tech education. So, it will let me to go to Europe or America just after my Uni. I know there are many sexism in this countries, but it’s nothing comparing sexism in mine. Thank u.