Thomas The Tank Blamed.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2529783/Thomas-Tank-Engine-blamed-lack-female-train-drivers-engines-male-says-Labour-minister.html

And to think that this woman is the Shadow Transport Secretary, how do such persons manage to rise to these high positions?

What next a cry for more black characters?

Eh? just had a thought there are no women 'Fat Controllers' also is that another reason for women no attaining higher positions in the rail industry?

[grasscarp]

Are we allowed to use the word rollocks?

[boxtops]

what a load of old rope - there are several women train drivers working out of our local terminus. How out of contact with normal people IS she?!

[boxtops]

Perfectly acceptable rowing term, grasscarp, and women are allowed to do rowing - see Flora MacDonald!

[Baldric]

About 15-18 years ago, one of my BILs was married to a Station Mistress,
To be honest she didn't appreciate the FC jokes though!¬

[wolf63]

My dad was a train driver and I remember him coming home horrified as he had been asked to team up with a new driver - and it was a woman. I can't remember when this was but he retired at the end of the 80's.

I am sure that I saw pink versions of Thomas type engines in a shop or online. What next?

[grasscarp]

This is not even true in that there are not female engines in the Thomas the Tank engine stories. I have watched Thomas (compulsory granny viewing) and I have played Thomas board games. The characters include Daisy, Emily, Elizabeth, Flora, Lady, Mavis (a very dashing black engine), Molly and Rosie. What a non story this is.

[mushroom25]

//I saw pink versions of Thomas type engines in a shop or online. What next? //

Thomas the transgender tank engine?

[anotheoldgit]

Aren't all the male characters actually engines and not engine drivers, come to think about it I can't ever remember seeing any actual train drivers in the Thomas the Tank books.

[Baldric]

Thomas the Gender-Tender maybe
(excuse typo!)

[anotheoldgit]

boxtops

/// Perfectly acceptable rowing term, grasscarp, and women are allowed to do rowing - see Flora MacDonald ///

Or even Grace Darwin.

[boxtops]

Indeed AOG - and yes, as I remember it, the engines are blokes and the carriages in the early stories all had female names. The new ones must be later PC additions :-(

[humbersloop]

Darling, aog, it was Grace Darling

[boxtops]

sloopy, thank you - I knew who he meant but it sounded Antipodean!

[redman41]

Was Grace Darwin, Charles Darwin's Sister or Wife wonder ?? :-))

[mushroom25]

actually there are female "fat controllers" - although they tend not not be fat....
http://www.railway-news.com/railway-industry-news/elaine-holt-joins-ratp-dev-and-will-lead-pre-qualification-for-londons-crossrail-operator-concession

[wolf63]

humbersloop - I don't think that I have ever seen the words "AOG" and "darling" next to each other in the same sentence before. ;-)

[leahbee]

Surely all our ministers can't be born stupid, it must be something they learn when they get into government.

[humbersloop]

my evil twin made me do it...

[aelmpvw]

all the five year old girls watching thomas the tank engine must have been horrified at the gender prejudice and become mps instead of train drivers

[anotheoldgit]

It would seem that Mary Creagh is not alone in her thinking or was she just copying a fellow female by the name of Professor Sauna Wilton (who the Daily Mail aptly named 'PC controller') and who was also showing concerns over this back in 2009.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234547/Thomas-The-Tank-Engine-branded-right-wing-conservative-demeaning-women.html

/// According to Professor Shauna Wilton, women are under-represented in the stories and what few female characters there are tend to have 'secondary' roles or be bossy. ///