Death of a General Manager...
Death of a General Manager
Date: January 1, 1970
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This piece is supposed to be a humour column on how retired men find it impossible to settle into a domestic routine, and turn their attention to making home operations more efficient, as they would a factory. The piece is steeped in stereotypes about the respective roles of women and men in society.
This piece is supposed to be a humour column on how retired men find it impossible to settle into a domestic routine, and turn their attention to making home operations more efficient, as they would a factory. The piece is steeped in stereotypes about the respective roles of women and men in society.
This article may be used in training to:
To show how gender stereotypes pervade our society, and especially economic reporting.
Trainer’s notes
A good way to approach this exercise is to ask participants to list what assumptions are made about women, and what about men in this piece. EG
Man
- Had a job
- Was a manager
- Is logical and efficient
- Has no role to play in the house other than managing and reorganizing his wife
- Does all the talking
Woman
- Is a “housewife”
- Has never worked outside the home
- Is incapable of running home operations efficiently
- Has nothing to say for herself
- Is irrational (says nothing but beats the man over the head and feeds him into the blender).
NB: Humour is an important way of challenging gender stereotypes. So an important question to raise is how this piece could have been written in a humorous style, but with a totally different perspective. For example, the piece could have been about how a powerful ex manager has to run the home for one day, and manages that in fact its as complex and demanding as running a factory. This would make a significant point, in a humorous way, about the unwaged work of women.
Some training exercises
As a contrast to the article just analysed, ask participants to read through the job description of a housewife below, and to comment of what skills are required to run a home; how these are valued (or under valued) in our society, and how these could be
“revalued.”
POSITION VACANT: HOUSEWIFE
Applications are invited for the position of manager of a lively team of four demanding individuals of differing needs and personalities. The successful applicant will be required to perform and co-ordinate the following functions: companion, counsellor, financial manager, buying officer, teacher, nurse, chef, nutritionist, decorator, cleaner, driver, child care supervisor, social secretary and recreation officer.
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have unlimited drive and the strongest sense of responsibility. They must be independent and self motivated and be able to work in isolation and without supervision. They must be skilled in management of people of all ages. They must be able to work under stress for long periods of time of necessary. They must have flexibility to perform conflicting tasks at one time without tiring. They must have the ability to handle new developments in the life of the team, including emergencies and serious crises. They must be able to communicate on a range of issues with people of all ages including public servants, school teachers, dentists, doctors, trades people, business people, teenagers and children. They must be healthy, creative, active and outgoing. They must have imagination, sensitivity, warmth and understanding, since they are responsible for the emotional and mental well being of the team.
HOURS OF WORK
All waking hours and a 24 hour shift where necessary.
PAY
None. Allowances by arrangement with the income earning member of the team. The successful applicant may be required to hold a second job in addition to the one advertised.
BENEFITS
No guaranteed holidays. No guaranteed sick leave, maternity leave or long service leave. No guaranteed life or accident insurance. No workers compensation. No superannuation.
(From: No More Peanuts: Liberty, National Council for Civil Liberties, 1990)
Click here for additional training resources and information. Refer to fact sheets one and three.
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