Somehow despite all of the images of Women and babies (notably in mangers) this time of year, people seem to suddenly have a problem with both.
In Nova Scotia a restauranteur was warned about breast feeding in the restaurant:
A few days ago the restaurant received its second official letter of complaint in six months from Nova Scotia’s food safety inspectors.” When the officer came to investigate, Gibson said, she asked him “how is this a food-safety issue? His response to me was, ‘I don’t know. Maybe the complainant thought milk could get in the food.’ “ Gibson said the inspector told her the complaint “was very much an issue of public perception.” She said the officer then offered her some advice: “Really, in the future, if you can kind of separate yourself so that the patrons can’t see you.”
Meanwhile, in Alberta, a city councilor was criticized for brining her 2 month old to work with her (Instead of being praised for say .. bonding with her child or for having a strong enough work ethic to return to council so soon after birth .. something like that.) From the CBC:
A public battle is underway in rural Alberta after a female county politician publicly criticized a fellow councillor for bringing her two-month-old baby daughter to meetings. Brazeau County councillor Pat Monteith made the remarks about Kara Westerlund in “The Councillor Connection” column in the Feb. 22 edition of the Breton Booster newspaper. “It appears that our new council chambers and meeting room has been turned into a nursery by one of our councillors,” Monteith wrote. “Personally, I am finding it disruptive and distracting. More importantly, how do you feel about your tax dollars going to pay someone to care for her own child?”
But, neither of these compare to a case in Iowa where the state Supreme Court ruled (unanimously) that that an employer was justified in firing an employee because she was “irresistible”.
A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday. The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an “irresistible attraction,” even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender, Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.
So, to those people who think that feminism has outlived it’s usefulness, I’d say it’s just getting started. Whether you believe that or not remember Christmas. There is something in that story about mothers and children (at least that’s what I’ve heard).