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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 04 March 2022
Opinion
Why women don’t want to be the same as men AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON
With International Women’s Day coming up on Tuesday, March 8 it seems a good time to ask what do women want? Generally we — that is men and women — want the same things. It might be more appropriate to ask what women don’t want. They don’t want the things that are unfair or that put them in danger. It’s not fair for instance that women – and men too — should have to pay the equivalent of a hefty mortgage repayment each month for childcare. We are in the Top 10 of Europe’s richest countries where two thirds of married women work. And yet there are no tax credits for working parents, no Government subsidies for childcare as there are in other countries. If parents can find care that is, what with high insurance costs and low wages are pushing creches and minders out of business. Unless grandparents are willing to step into the breach (and a fifth of over 70s spend over 40 hours a week looking after the little darlings) parents are likely to be snookered with typical costs of around €900 a month for an infant and €800
for after-school care. That’s €1,700 a month, a big factor together with high rents that push home ownership out of reach. Women don’t want to suffer the epidemic gender- based violence either within their homes by partners or by attackers outside. These will be among the issues raised at a rally organised on Saturday
outside the Dail at noon by the National Women’s Council with the theme ‘No Woman Left Behind’. Research shows that around 15% of women and 6% of men in Ireland have experienced severe domestic violence from a partner and that most women who were intentionally killed in Ireland were killed by a current or former intimate
partner. The rate of abuse rose sharply during the pandemic, highlighting the inadequacy of refuges for victims where nine out of 26 counties have no refuge. Personally, I am not sure that refuges are always the answer, rather than have the abused partner and children flee maybe there should be sin
bins for the perpetrators with obligatory counselling. That and classes in school which promote respect between the sexes. The way that women shoulder the burden of caring can be unfair too. Studies show that women still shoulder as much as 80% of work within the home, dubbed the final frontier of feminism.
Perhaps that one needs teasing out a bit: do women collude a bit here, taking on things they have learned from mothers? Is there a frontier of masculism too when it comes to looking after cars and DIY? Maybe the situation will be resolved with helpful domestic robots but who is going to fix them when they go wrong? Pay in caring work – childcare and elder care – is female dominated with low pay. It needs to be valued more. Looking back 52 years to the six demands set out in ‘Chains Or Change’ by fledgling women’s lib. that time seems like the Dark Ages. Their aims were equal rights in law, equal pay and the removal of the marriage bar, justice for widows, single mothers and deserted wives, equal education, contraceptive rights and one family, one house. That was then and, with the glaring exception of the last demand — given the current housing crisis — much has been achieved. But much still needs to be done. Would this happen more quickly if we had more women in the Dail and in Government? Probably. Just 36 out of 160 TDs are women are there are four only in Cabinet. Women don’t want to be the same as men, they want things to be fair. After all, we are the Fair Sex.
What’s new for menopause? CLAIR WHITTY
THERE are lots of supplements to help the journey from perimenopause to menopause and beyond. We have had a couple of new ones in and I mentioned I would tell you about them. This week it’s NORVIA® Menopause and it is proudly produced in Ireland. NORVIA® Menopause is a proteinrich, plant-based, powdered nutritional formula designed to support active women who are experiencing hormonal imbalance and uncomfortable menopause symptoms. It is so easy to take, vanilla flavoured and tastes delicious. In a shaker simply add one sachet to 100 ml of water, shake well, drink, and you are ready to go. It’s perfect for those who cannot or do not like to take capsules or tablets. New research by NORVIA® Nutrition shows that 40% of women living in Ireland in perimenopause and menopause are exercising less due to fatigue from lack of sleep. I think a lot of you will relate to tiredness from lack of sleep. It’s a vicious circle, you can be too tired
to exercise, but exercise may help you feel better and perhaps help you get a good night’s sleep. With this in mind, NORVIA® are encouraging you to stretch, exercise and move more because they know that even gentle forms of exercise can improve some of your symptoms. Other factors noted as reasons for not exercising include; weight gain and bloating (19%), changes in mood and feelings of anxiety (10%) as well as aches, pains and stiffness in their joints (9%). I think we can relate to these too. They are just some of the 40+ common symptoms of perimenopause and
menopause. NORVIA® Menopause was formulated by Dr Lars Høie MD PhD, Dr Philos and contains unique soybean properties including soy isoflavones plus B Vitamins, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K, Magnesium and Calcium. NORVIA® Menopause contains Vitamin B6 which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity and psychological function, vitamin B12 and magnesium which contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and calcium which contributes to normal muscle function and the maintenance of normal bones. It’s dairy-free, yeastfree, gluten-free, crueltyfree, non-GMO, contains no artificial colours or preservatives, no MSG and is suitable for Vegan and Vegetarians. Each pack contains 28 one-a-day sachets. Call in for more advice and information about this interesting new supplement, made in Ireland. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie Shop online at www. naturalhealthstore.ie