Noam's suitor

Noam had a visit by a suitor yesterday. Afterwards she told me that she did find him cute, but that she's not making any promises.

The State - a discriminating employer

Men, employed by the State, makes 17 508 SEK more than women in the same position, every year. There are twice as many men compared to women, being "the boss". And men, employed by the state, have safer terms of employment, in comparison with women employed by the State. All this according to the Swedish newspaper DN today.

Starting to feel a bit embarrassed, and pretty angry, as I, myself, is employed by.... the State.

Make more women in the board rooms mandatory

The Swedish newspaper DN is today writing about the fact that the percentage of women in the board rooms is still low. Only 18 percent of the board members in Swedish companies are women. It looks like we've come to "a stand still" as the percentage was the same last year.

Members of the governments opposition is now calling for the State to make it mandatory that there should be more female board members.

I totally agree.

People use excuses like:

Making it mandatory is bad, as the person most suitable for the job should get the job.

I say:

Sure, and it is just as easy finding a woman suitable for the job, as a man suitable for the job, but the nasty structures in society, and in the board rooms, makes sure that the people (most of the time men) that are looking for a candidate, almost always manages to make sure that the most suitable person is a man.

People also say:

Making it mandatory is not the way to go and no woman would want the job as a result of it being mandatory.

I say:

Women would not get the job as a result of it being mandatory. A woman would get the job as a result of being the best candidate. The only difference would be that the person looking for a candidate would not be allowed to discriminate against women, and would therefor have to look further that amongst his 'brothers'.

I also say:

It might not be the best way to go, but it's the way we seem to be forced to go as structures seem very difficult to change. Especially structures that has to do with the patriarchate. By making things mandatory it might also push the structures to change, and when the structures has changed we will no longer need for things to be mandatory.

Until then, dear government, please, start taking discrimination against women seriously and force companies and employers to stop this obvious form of discrimination.

Noam

Noam means "calm" or "pleasure". She sure has brought that and a whole lot more. Think I still don't understand it fully. It still feels a bit unreal. To good to be true. And at the same time it feels like she's been with us forever.

My poor friends

Yesterday my husband scared the shit out of one of my friends, that was visiting, by showing the film from Noam's birth. Really, who, other than the parents, wants to watch a just born baby full of blood and fat.

My husband was clueless though, and this morning he asked: "Was she okay yesterday? She didn't seem to be herself." I told him that my friends "herself" probably got lost in between the birth movie and the questions about prams from a (pregnant) couple that was also visiting.

And today I probably scared the shit out of another friend that was here, by stinking of baby puke and talking about how Noam shat on my husbands foot yesterday.

Guess we're lucky if our friends ever come for a visit again.

There has to be a first time for everything

Today, when mummy, daddy and baby, were on a nice long walk, far away from any place indoors, were it was possible to breast feed, baby decided that that was exactly what was needed.

So mummy almost froze her tits off, sitting on a jetty, breast feeding baby.

And the ducks enjoyed the view.

Easter sucks!

The Easter holiday is so boring. Several days of nothing. I don't celebrate it. And I'm sure no one else does either. Still we all expect that everybody else do celebrate it. Which is why we feel like we're intruding if we call people up or try to fix a date with someone. So we all just sit at home, waiting for the bloody holiday to be over.

This morning, when I heard the church bells, I was seriously considering to pop over for the mass. Just to have something to do. Or to try to figure out if there is actually more to Easter than I think. Or maybe just to see if anyone actually goes to church for Easter. But I didn't go, as I'm sure you've already figured out.

But I'm lying a bit. Because I actually do know ONE person that takes Easter seriously. My mum, that is. She doesn't go to church. But she decorates the house with lots of roosters, chickens, easter witches, yellow stuff, and branches with feathers on. This even though she doesn't even spend Easter at home, as she always celebrate it at her fiancee's parent's place.

"But that is why I decorate the house a week early" she says. "So that I have the time to enjoy it a bit, before we go away over the actual Easter holiday". She's brilliant my mum, a bit kooky, but brilliant.

Now I'm going to dress up Noam as an Easter witch and then ask her to take me to Blåkulla. For those of you that don't know what Blåkulla is, it's the place where, according to old Swedish traditions and beliefs, the witches gathered at Easter. Guess it will be more entertaining than just sitting at home doing nothing.