The Woman’s Own columnist has her say on body odour, parenting and growing old
WOMEN IN THE LEAD
When will men stop feeling so threatened by female success?
Wait, what? So Taylor Swift split with her boyfriend of six years, British actor Joe Alwyn, reportedly due to a ‘struggle over career differences’.
You mean he didn’t realise she was THAT Taylor Swift when they started dating? Must have been a shock to suddenly realise you were going out with one of the most successful female artists on the planet. But hey, six years of sell-out world tours and number-one albums not much of a clue?
Small disclaimer here: I don’t actually care about Ms Swift’s love life, mainly because it seems to have inspired her entire career. So, pretty sure she can live without us fretting over how she’s coping.
What is curious about this story is the fact that, once again, a female having a more successful career than her male partner reportedly triggered a split. In 2023. A good 50 years after bras were burnt and the Sex Discrimination Act became law. No one would have batted an eyelid over a male rock star dating a less famous and probably poorer partner.
But a woman? Oh my goodness, how is that poor man supposed to cope with being emasculated in such a way? How does he bear the burden of keeping the home fires burning while the little lady trots off to add a few more million to the joint savings account?
It’s not just the mega-rich and world-famous who have to deal with this – let’s be honest – blatant sexism, though. Successful TV writer and journalist Daisy Goodwin recently wrote a very honest article about what her life was like now her husband Marcus had retired at age 62.
Like his wife, Marcus had been a big fish as a journalist and editor in the TV news business. But just as Marcus was slowing down, Daisy’s work was speeding up. And even after 35 years of marriage, both admit it was a tricky path to tread, for themselves and those around them.
For a man used to being the main breadwinner in a demanding job, suddenly having to run a house (and, in some cases, family) is a huge shock to the system, often made worse by the reaction of other men and (depressingly) women.
No one enjoys the sympathy vote especially when it comes with an air of condescension. Daisy admits she hated herself for dashing out the door in the morning asking Marcus, ‘What are you going to do all day?’ To which he’d dryly reply, ‘Lots of things. Don’t worry I won’t be watching daytime TV.’
And this is the problem, isn’t it? The biggest challenge is
