Australian govt memo, 1968: Women become "spinster battle axes;" "men usually mellow"
Nat sez, "Spinster battlaxe Skud passed me this 1968 minute from the Director of the Trade Commissioner of Australia explaining why women are ineligible for postings. It's a jawdropalicious blast from the sexist past":Even conceding these points, a woman could not stay young and attractive for ever, and later on could well become a problem.Nat continues, "Bearing in mind this sage advice, I've already begun to regretfully decline my daughter's requests for education and social opportunities, explaining to her that "she could not be regarded as a long-term investment in the same sense as we regard" her brother."(vii) A spinster lady can, and very often does, turn into something of a battleaxe with the passing years. A man usually mellows.
Minute to the Director, Trade Commissioner Service (Australia) (Thanks, Nat!)
Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.