Fifty-six years ago today, we got married. In 1967 the world was a very different place. As a girl I wasn’t expected to go to university and was encouraged to learn shorthand and typing so that I could go into the traditional role of secretary to a man. Later, I followed all the ‘rules’: when we got married very young, as normal, I was expected to leave work, then save for a deposit on a house, then have the ‘correct’ number of children - two. Back then, no-one would have dreamt of changing that order, and woe betide any girl getting pregnant outside of marriage. Such girls were shunned by society and even by their own family. How different life is today for women. Yesterday’s Women’s World Cup symbolised the remarkable change in society’s attitudes. They even wear the same kit as male footballers. All sports should follow their dress code, especially beach volleyball! They’re not there to look pretty but as sportswomen.So, today, no longer must women follow ‘traditional’, subservient roles to men. It’s a lifetime away from the now-dated mindsets of 1967 - and, as a female writer in 2023, I’m grateful. But, another 4 years and we get a card from the King - some traditions die hard!
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