The theme of the first episode of 'Bridges' was chosen as eternal – about gender equality (meaning M/F). By the way, let's try to answer this question in a slightly different interpretation: which floor is better – parquet or concrete? Common sense suggests – it depends on what and where! But as a rule, common sense is a rare guest on talk shows...
So, the discussion is based on the question of the presence or absence of inequality of women in Ukraine. The starting point was statistical data: among the unemployed – up to 80% women, whose wages are about 75% of men's salaries; in government bodies, women make up no more than 10% and so on. These figures are not new, and they have not changed much over the past years. So it was, so it is. The only question is whether it will be so tomorrow?
The main characters of the program (aka the 'experts') tried to find an answer to this question. They were: the Chairperson of the National Council of Women of Ukraine, the Press Attaché of the German Embassy, the Gender Advisor of the United Nations Development Programme, and a 'man as a counterbalance' – the Deputy Chairman of the Kyievo-Sviatoshynskyi District Council.
So, there is no faulting the legislation – all participants of the program agreed on that. Our Constitution is good, and Article 24 (the one about equal rights) is alive and well. They agreed that women need to be more actively involved in politics (to put the Constitution into practice).
Ukrainian women are not alone in their desire to prove their 'equality'. The German guest – the Press Attaché of the German Embassy – gave an interesting example. In Germany, a public opinion poll was conducted on the subject: 'Can you imagine a female chancellor?' Well, 98% of Germans answered positively to this question. It would seem that we should be happy. But no! The point is that the very formulation of such a question initially humiliates women.
As for our mentality, it plays a cruel joke specifically on women. The fact is that from an early age, mothers prepare a 'path of retreat' for girls. For a boy, there is no way out – no matter what happens, he must work and earn a living for himself (and his family). A girl, on the other hand, if she studies poorly, will lose little – but she will be a good mother. Thus, without wanting to, mothers weaken healthy careerism and the drive for competition in little girls. And as a result, we too often hear the hysterical-pathetic: 'I devoted my entire life to my family!' So often that an irreverent thought involuntarily creeps in – maybe there was nothing to devote? Educational institutions also subtly influence gender inequality. Starting with the infamous 'Mom washed the frame' (and why, exactly, mom?) and ending with the fact that most names of professions – engineer, doctor, programmer, etc. – are masculine.
So the advisor (advisoress?) on gender issues of the UN Development Programme is right – gender education should start from kindergarten-school-institute.
As they say in Odessa: 'Well, what can I say...' The most pleasant impression was left by the foreign woman. The manner of conversation, openness, ease, sobriety of judgment give us a head start of ...teen points. In this regard, I have a proposal for our TV people. Let's follow Mikhail Zadornov's advice: take a loan from the West and hire their own experts with that money. Let them perform the sailor dance 'Yablochko' in front of us on TV and tell us how to cope with our problems. Otherwise, we can't seem to choose a topic, generate constructive proposals, or entertain the audience. However, to be completely honest, I was interested in the story of the Finnish Minister of Defense (who was a lady – over there) about how Russian General Grachev, after drinking vodka, began kissing her first on the hands, then on the cheeks, and then moved on to a 'direct kiss' (quote!). It's a pity that they didn't let us hear the end of the meeting of defense ministers. They cut it out. Probably saved for another talk show.