THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A WOMAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16987, 10 March 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A WOMAN.

“ (By

OLIVE STEEN.)

Why, I wonder, do so many women bemoan their hard fate in having been created women instead of men, when the (so called) weaker sex possess such solid and obvious advantages. Even in the nursery it is apparent, for all well-brought-up little brothers have to give in to their sisters. At parties little girls always get the nicest cakes and the kisses, while small hoys often fight for the privilege of being their partners in games and dances. At a slightlv maturer age the boys will be expected to give the girls a good handicap in games, carry their clubs or racquets, strap on their skates, an I do the disagreeables generally foi them. Are not the shoo-windows per ennial proof of the servitude of man 9 To gratify the lightest caprice of woman and that she may lie daintMy clothed and fed, man will risk liis life in all parts of the globe. Even whvi we play at being men. and do it badly, we are excused, because we are women, and whenever you see a man buying fabulously expensive chocolates or perfumes, or sheepishly carrying a large bouquet of flowers through the stree s, you know him for the slave of ‘ something ’ in petticoats, whose frown can reduce him to despair. There are probablv few of the greatest leaders of mankind who do not quail before the signs of a “Caudle” lecture from their wives—the only beings of whom thev stand in awe. Think of our superiority in the matter of clothes too. Compare me is horrid, stiff, unimaginative garments with our delicious chiffons—our comfy furs in winter, our airy muslins in summer. In more important we score too. Even if we commit heinous crimes’, we get off lightly—because we are wo men. where a man would be severely punished by the law. Tf we are jilted the law accords us monetary compensation fof* our broken hearts, while wc may jilt any number of men. and escape -scnthless. Men work for us. feed us, clothe ns. and humour us, yet we are not satis ) fied. We still scream for equal rights ; and prate aloud of the injustices under which our sex suffers. There are of course, some wrongs to be redressed., but, i-n the shrewd depths of oar feminine souls, we know that many of our much-vaunted inequalities are ail to oil!’ advantage, feared, whoso