Sisterhood, cups of tea and screwing over other women

foreverdirt has written most excellently about the ways that sexism and patriarchy still screw over women, and teach them that if they're going to be in a traditionally male field, they had damn well better be the best, or incur all kinds of flaming wrath and guilt.

Pondering this, I can't help but wonder why it is that women make these situations harder for each other.

As a bright-eyed medical student, I guffawed when a consultant told me that nurses would never treat me the same as they would treat my male colleagues. She muttered something about jealously. Now, I always thought it very insulting to imply that nurses were only nurses because they couldn't be doctors; that because it's traditionally 'women's work' doesn't make nursing less desirable, interesting or worthy.

Then I entered the workforce, and I noticed how many times I would be given a helping hand, or offered a cup of tea etc, and compared that to the treatment my male colleagues get and there *is* a difference.


( why doesn't anybody make me a cup of tea, dammit? )