Kirstie Allsopp urges young women to put off university and have children younger

The Mitcher

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...-is-the-one-thing-we-cant-change-9470411.html

THoughts, fellow caftards.

Personally, I find this an incredibly out of touch statement. For one, what makes her think she is on the pedestal and has the tenacity to tell young women how go and lead their lives. Yes we know the older you get the harder it is to have children, but the fact of the matter is, women WANT to have children older. You know why...oh because they want to have a good career and life before they settle down.

What does she know about the life of female students, she knows nothing. I did a quick search, it does not appear she went to university, so what makes her qualified to say this. Also, not many students have the money to have children at the age of 18-21, because of oh, you know the tuition fees of your esteemed conservative party.

Apparently a committed Feminist and that women need the truth. Yeah, coming from someone who said working mothers love the chores of housework because its "Therapeutic", piss off.
 
I imagine that one of the curses of being a modern woman is that women with a media profile are continually telling you how to live your life (see Paltrow etc etc). And, sadly, for some of these types 'Feminism' is a euphemism for 'selfishness'; they & their opinions are a burden, not a help, for their fellow women.
 
"I don’t have a girl, but if I did I’d be saying ‘Darling, do you know what? Don’t go to university.

Start work straight after school, stay at home, save up your deposit – I’ll help you, let’s get you into a flat.

"'And then we can find you a nice boyfriend and you can have a baby by the time you’re 27.'"



I don't think anyone should listen to this woman's advice, ever.
 
My first thought is she must have a documentary/series out soon along these lines.

Kirstie Allsopp's Stay at Home Mums - Thursdays 8.30, Channel 4
 
SteveJ said:
I imagine that one of the curses of being a modern woman is that women with a media profile are continually telling you how to live your life (see Paltrow etc etc). And, sadly, for some of these types 'Feminism' is a euphemism for 'selfishness'; they & their opinions are a burden, not a help, for their fellow women.
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I know, its a complete farce and I don't know of any journalists actually calling them out on this.

Plugsy said:
My first thought is she must have a documentary/series out soon along these lines.

Kirstie Allsopp's Stay at Home Mums - Thursdays 8.30, Channel 4
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I really don't like that "stay at home mum/dad" phrase, they are housewives and househusbands, what's wrong with being called that. Its such a bloody euphemistic phrase...I give up.
 
The Mitcher said:
I know, its a complete farce and I don't know of any journalists actually calling them out on this.


I really don't like that "stay at home mum/dad" phrase, they are housewives and househusbands, what's wrong with being called that. Its such a bloody euphemistic phrase...I give up.
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I get annoyed more when politicians talk about "helping single mums", I know a few single dads, the term just dismisses and in some ways disenfranchises them. Like how must two-willied family environments feel when they hear of politicians helping "mum" back to work. It's patronising
 
The Mitcher said:
Oh do tell, my liege.
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I do hope that was a reference to the St Crispin's Day speech.

On topic, it's an opinion. It's not backwards or anything - it's just a view that perhaps it might be an idea to have children before embarking on a career. I don't happen to agree with that view, but it's hardly that bad.
 
Plugsy said:
I get annoyed more when politicians talk about "helping single mums", I know a few single dads, the term just dismisses and in some ways disenfranchises them. Like how must two-willied family environments feel when they hear of politicians helping "mum" back to work. It's patronising
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Yes, and they don't even care about single parents or gay fathers.
 
alastair said:
I do hope that was a reference to the St Crispin's Day speech.

On topic, it's an opinion. It's not backwards or anything - it's just a view that perhaps it might be an idea to have children before embarking on a career. I don't happen to agree with that view, but it's hardly that bad.
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Its from a "committed feminist" and someone who so far I as I have read, has never been to University or even had KIDS. How can this simply be an opinion, if she can't even back it up. And it is backwards, if you or I had said that, we would be accused of being backward, conservative etc.

I like Henry V btw, but I didn't quote it.

alastair said:
I have to say the tips on house design I have gained from Kirstie over the years means I'll let her get away with any view.
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Yeaaaahhh, some great house tips aren't they!
 
It's a kind of socially conservative view except she advocates women having a career afterwards.

I think there's a genuinely interesting point in there about how people live a lot longer but this hasn't extended women's fertility, and how perhaps adapting to this truth could lead to a reordering of priorities in life.

People in their twenties now aren't going to retire until their seventies, let's face it.
 
alastair said:
It's a kind of socially conservative view except she advocates women having a career afterwards.

I think there's a genuinely interesting point in there about how people live a lot longer but this hasn't extended women's fertility, and how perhaps adapting to this truth could lead to a reordering of priorities in life.

People in their twenties now aren't going to retire until their seventies, let's face it.
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These women know "the truth", it is absolutely patronising to suggest they need to be told it. Why else would they still go along with it. This is someone who knows nothing of their lives at all trying to tell it "like it is".

People in their twenties are most likely not even going to have enough money to afford to have a child, let alone have one early, then go later. That is not how it happens most of the time anyway. Plus the entry for University is getting harder and harder.

Admit it, she doesn't have a clue what she is on about, she hasn't got an ounce of experience to draw from.
 
I don't think it's as bad as it sounds initially. She obviously places huge importance on family and the home, so it's understandable that she thinks women should pursue family bliss before a career. What she doesn't consider is that there are plenty of women who take great satisfaction from their careers and wouldn't want to sacrifice it for starting a family. But if one of these women were to "my advice to my daughter would be to forsake finding a partner and get the best education possible and then focus on building a career" it wouldn't get half as much interest.
 
Always had found her attractive for some un-explainable reason. Probably all that middle classyness. :drool:

On topic: it's her opinion and there's nothing particularly wrong with it.
 
Globule said:
I don't think it's as bad as it sounds initially. She obviously places huge importance on family and the home, so it's understandable that she thinks women should pursue family bliss before a career. What she doesn't consider is that there are plenty of women who take great satisfaction from their careers and wouldn't want to sacrifice it for starting a family. But if one of these women were to "my advice to my daughter would be to forsake finding a partner and get the best education possible and then focus on building a career" it wouldn't get half as much interest.
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She also doesn't consider, it sounds particularly stupid coming from her, because she is neither of those things. She is not a mother, and she is not a university graduate. She's not 20 and does not know what its like. I don't either, but I would not say shit like this.
 
"Don’t think ‘my youth should be longer’. Don’t go to university because it’s an ‘experience’. No, it’s where you’re supposed to learn something! Do it when you’re 50!"

:lol: what?
 
Globule said:
But that's the reason she believes this. She is not a mother, and she would have liked to have been but she focused on her career. She's talking from a point of regret, almost.
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She's also doing what Stevej pointed out:

SteveJ said:
I imagine that one of the curses of being a modern woman is that women with a media profile are continually telling you how to live your life (see Paltrow etc etc). And, sadly, for some of these types 'Feminism' is a euphemism for 'selfishness'; they & their opinions are a burden, not a help, for their fellow women.
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Sorry Steve, you said it better than me.

She might have regret, but it doesn't come out in that article. Nothing is stopping her, she could have had a child and still had this career. Besides, what has she done the past few years, I hardly see her on TV anyway.
 
The Mitcher said:
She also doesn't consider, it sounds particularly stupid coming from her, because she is neither of those things. She is not a mother, and she is not a university graduate. She's not 20 and does not know what its like. I don't either, but I would not say shit like this.
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A quick glance at wikipedia says she has two sons though...
 
Silva said:
She's got two sons you fecking idiots. Did anyone read beyond the headline? fecking hell.
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Hence why I deleted my post. I read the article yesterday but had forgotten that part, so when Mitch said she's not a parent I took it on face value.
 
The Mitcher said:
But its not feminist. If I had that view I'd be considered sexist.
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But she still wants women to have both careers and families - she just thinks the pursuit of a family should come first.
 
The Mitcher said:
But its not feminist. If I had that view I'd be considered sexist.
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The only person who would consider you sexist for that is Alex99, and he's a bit of an idiot. Feminism was born out of the fact that women didn't have choices, now they do and this kind of discussion about lifestyle choices is only healthy. It doesn't really matter at the end of the day.
 
Globule said:
But she still wants women to have both careers and families - she just thinks the pursuit of a family should come first.
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Yes, but then if women did that, we would have a loss of full qualified young women in the workplace. I mean, who would want to employ an older woman with no work experience let alone someone my age with no experience. Is it not slighly dangerous to call for them to do that.

Silva said:
You're getting too worked up Mitch, she's just a silly woman who said a silly thing.
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That's just my ranty political tone, I use it too much.
 
The Mitcher said:
Yes, but then if women did that, we would have a loss of full qualified young women in the workplace. I mean, who would want to employ an older woman with no work experience let alone someone my age with no experience. Is it not slighly dangerous to call for them to do that.
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Don't get me wrong. I don't support her argument fully, and it is flawed because pursuing a career in your mid-40s (well, later if you have to get a degree first) is rarely going to end well.

But I do think that she touches on a wider issue of whether we (men and women) are getting it wrong by putting too much emphasis on careers, therefore sacrificing the happiness and contentment that comes from a family.
 
Kirstie Allsopp has practically zero influence so I don't think you have to worry about this generation of teenage girls suddenly getting pregnant and leaving school.
 
Silva said:
Kirstie Allsopp has practically zero influence so I don't think you have to worry about this generation of teenage girls suddenly getting pregnant and leaving school.
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Been to many council estates recently? :)
 
The chance for a woman to forestall having children in order to get her life--her independence in order--is a new thing in our species. It is an absolutely wonderful thing, and it allows young women to capitalize on the advantages on offer. Yet Kirstie Allsopp--from the comfort of her presumable Western life--says forgo all that. Nope, this caftard has no patience for that drivel.
 
She almost makes a good point. The expectation of finishing education, finding a career, holding a career, and then settling down and having children all in the space of about 15 years is a bit ridiculous. I just think she misses the point somewhat by focusing on the children part of it. There is no expectation for men to have children, so why should it be expected of women? Instead of telling young girls "you must absolutely try and have babies as soon as possible. Your life doesn't begin until you have babies," we should be telling them that it doesn't matter if they don't have any. That their lives don't revolve around the men they can attract and their worth around the children they have.

She also completely overlooks a number of things. Here we have the daughter of Charles Henry Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip, Chairman of Christie's International, telling young women not to worry about little things like 'money' to pay for things like 'rent', 'food' and 'bills' because mummy and daddy can provide it all for them whilst they worry about the important things in life, like finding a man to provide for them whilst they have the children they were obviously put on this earth to bear. It's alright though, because you can just get a 'job', just like Kirstie who worked for mummy's business, and that'll be just like going out into the world. After they've got all of that out of the way, then they can worry about university. Because someone in their late 20s/early 30s, that's been out of education for a number of years, is obviously going to cope with university marvelously, particularly when they've got kids to worry about whilst hubby goes out to work every day. After they're done with university, you're then left with this thirty-something woman, with no meaningful work experience, suddenly looking to jump on the career ladder. It's not like she's going to be competing against a large number of men who've jumped straight out of university in their early twenties to start working, with a great number of them having a good 5+ years experience before they've even hit 30.

It's a load of bollocks about traditional housewives disguised by a couple of buzzwords, like "career", to make it seem progressive. Not remotely feminist at all.
 
yeah watch my show and have kids early, then watch my other show and buy a house to stuff them in. fecking simples. Next up Dick and Dom on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

The culture of the moron is upon us. Shame on those who even tolerate it.
 
Nothing particularly wrong with her having this opinion, even if I do disagree with it.

I’m firmly of the idea that people should wait for kids, until they are in their late twenties. It allows them to actually have set themselves up financially and started their career. It would have also let them get far more life experiences which will likely help them raise the kid better as well. It makes far more sense than some girl who has come straight out of school knocking out a kid straight away and then relying on other people to help her out as she doesn’t have the finances and such behind her to actually raise the thing.
 
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