Manga Promotes The Power Of Women In The Workplace

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Times: Comic-book heroine turns tables on men in Japanese workplace
A well-educated, chain-smoking, occasionally foul-mouthed comic-book character has become a heroine for millions of Japanese women who are battling for recognition in the country’s male-dominated workplace. Through her exploits, women have begun to see how, perhaps, they might overturn decades of gender inequality and chip away at one of Japan’s most frequently decried statistics – that, across all industries, only 10 per cent of managers are female. To succeed in her working life, Hiroko Matsukata, a fictional magazine news editor, deploys a range of arts that her fans are quickly adopting themselves. The 28-year-old is sweet when she needs to be and flint-hearted when threatened. She is even able to control her use of Japanese, suddenly dropping the niceties of speech traditionally expected of women when she needs male colleagues to take her seriously. But her most powerful weapon has turned out to be a controversial one: when work gets tough and her male bosses pile on the pressure, she flicks on her psychological “Man Switch” and is transformed into a career-focused, success-driven typhoon of productivity...more...

The article doesn't mention it but the live action TV version of "Hataraki Man" has been running on NTV since last month.

[Russell]

Thomas the Tank Engine needs more female trains, Labour MP says

Thomas the Tank Engine is setting a poor example to children and needs more female engines to encourage girls to become train drivers, Labour's shadow transport secretary has said.

Mary Creagh described the lack of female train drivers in Britain as a "national scandal" and said that children's television shows and "negative stereotypes" are partly to blame.

She called on train companies recruit more female drivers by advertising in magazine's such as Good Housekeeping and Women's Own, and suggested that they need to offer more part time work.

Mrs Creagh, a mother-of-two, singled out Thomas the Tank Engine for criticism. She said that while the books and television series have "wonderful stories" and are "incredibly popular", they have almost no female characters.

All the main characters - Thomas, James, Edward, Henry, Gordon, Percy and even the Fat Controller - are male.

The only female characters in the original books were coaches Annie and Clarabel, Isabel the auto coach, Mrs Kyndley, an elderly lady, and Daisy, the sole female engine.

Mrs Creagh said: "In the Thomas the Tank Engine books there are almost no female engines. The only female characters are an annoyance, a nuisance and in some cases a danger to the functioning of the railway.

"There is a preponderance of men in the transport industry and I am very keen to unpack some of the myths that stop women from taking up what are often highly paid and highly skilled jobs."

Thomas the Tank engine was created in 1946 by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, an Anglican cleric who invented Thomas and his friends to entertain his son, Christopher. At the time Christopher was suffering from a bout of measles.

There are now 42 books in the series, which was continued by the Rev Awdry’s son Christopher, and a children's show based on the characters has been running since 1984 and is currently broadcast by Channel 5.

Mrs Creagh said that the example set by the series compared unfavourably with Underground Ernie, a popular animated series on CBeebies.

Underground Ernie features Victoria, the oldest train who acts as a motherly figure to the other engines and resembles the Queen. One of the other main characters is Circle, who is yellow and describes herself as a "laid back hippy chick".

Mrs Creagh said: "There have been some changes. Underground Ernie is wonderful, and there are some female trains in that. But again it is called Underground Ernie, not Underground Rosie."

Aslef, the train drivers union, is campaigning for more women and ethnic minority train drivers. Just 1,000 women, equivalent to about 4.2 per cent, of train drivers are women. Mike Whelan, the union'sgeneral secretary, said: "These figures show that there is plainly something wrong in this era of professed quality".

Boots is currently selling two walking reins and harnesses for toddlers for boys and girls. The girls version is pink and inscribed with the words "little cupcake", while the boys is blue and inscribed with the words "train drivers".

Mrs Creagh said: “Girls sit at home and eat cake, boys are out driving the train. So it starts in childhood harnesses, and it goes up to the Thomas the Tank Engine books where there are no female engines.”

Mrs Creagh said that train companies need to offer female drivers more flexible working hours so they can care for their children. She said: "There are quite a lot of stereotypical attitudes in the industry. I was talking to one fright operator who said we think women don't like working night shifts.

"And I said well, have you told that to all the NHS nurses who work nights in hospitals across the country and probably do it for half the pay of train drivers."

Mrs Creagh also said that mechanical comprehension tests taken by prospective train drivers could discriminate against women.

She said: “You don’t need mechanical competence to drive a train any more. Previous research has indicated that it could be a disadvantage to minority groups, so the question is why is it still in there from a legal point of view, because it could amount to indirect discrimination.”

Hit Entertainment, the company which owns the rights to Thomas & Friends, admitted there was a "historical imbalance", but said more female engines are "in development". A spokesman said: "Every engine has a job to do whether that's hauling materials aroudn the Island of Sodor or pulling passengers - gender is irrelevent."

Link

[Coligny]

Thomas Tank Engine pr0n in 3... 2... 1...

[wuchan]

Thomas Tank Engine pr0n in 3... 2... 1...

I hate the internet..

http://www.xtube.com/watch.php?v=j4EAs-S261-