These are the things I want in 2006 for every woman ? if your particular dreams or desires are missing, just add them to the wishlist.
More time, since a woman’s work is never done; if we could have 36 hours in the day, and spend at least 10 of them on ourselves, life would be just perfect.
A world where at least 50 per cent of the presidents, prime ministers, CEOs, politicians and judges were women. I’d ask for 80 per cent, which is pretty much what the other gender has, but we women aren’t selfish, we’ll settle for just half the power.
A birth control pill that works without causing nasty side effects or lowering our fertility. A guarantee that the “new pill”, which promises to do away with menstruation for women, is actually safe.
A century from 2006 to 3006 where we have at least thrice as many women Nobel laureates as the measly 34 who made it to the list between 1903 and 2006.
Bras that fit. Not horrible devices from the torture chamber, not sacks that offer less support than dental floss, just normal, comfortable bras for normal women.
A level playing field in sport, so that we don’t have to preface “Sania Mirza” with “woman tennis player” every time we mention her. Equal TV and press time for all the women boxers, cricket players, footballers, tennis players, hockey players and sports people out there who train just as hard as the boys for a fifth of the rewards.
Priests, of all religions, who don’t start by viewing women as cradles of sin, who don’t make women ashamed of their bodies, who seek not to control the energy of women but to help them release that energy in the best possible way for them and the world.
Ads that don’t insult us by treating women as candyfloss, or stereotyping them as vacuous housewives, or draping them over cars and computers on the assumption that women could only ever help to sell Male Machines, never buy them.
More respect from the world when we decide to be mothers. Doctors who won’t treat us as braindamaged walking baby carriers, tell us not to make such a fuss, tell us not to ask too many questions, or tell us that postpartum depression is all in the head. We want workplaces that will prioritise paternity leave as much as maternity leave. We want workplaces, whether these are building sites or corporate offices, that offer flexitime and cr?ches as a matter of course, rather than as reluctant bribes to half the workforce.
Men who know how to love us, respect us and treat us right. Partners, male or female, who would never be abusive or violent, women who know that support is what we expect from them, not just from foundation garments, men who’re happy to be with us.
An automatic muzzle for anyone who presumes to tell women how they should dress, what they should say, how they should make love or how they should live. We don't need to be told; we're pretty good at finding out for ourselves.
Oh, and presents. Like flowers, silk saris, chocolates, roses?brandy snifters, iPods, BlackBerrys, environmentally friendly SUVs, hanggliding courses and a killer digital camera.
