In response to Laura Perrins: Feminists rule, Colonel Mustard wrote:

Having spent rather more time than I should watching old, classic, b/w British films on Freeview Channel 81, I have been struck by the absence of any evidence of ‘patriarchy’ or gender oppression in dramatisations from 1930s, 1940s and 1950s Britain. Instead, plenty of smart, grown-up, gutsy and self-confident portrayals of women doing their own thing, comfortable in their skins and respected as individuals by the men in their lives. The main differences are how they manage also to retain a beguiling femininity within their personalities, not just through ostentatious displays of over-priced outfits worn only on special occasions. And the good-natured banter in men vs women plots – vive la différence – rather than the seriously bitter verbal warfare of stereotypes and identity groups. The current obsession with diversity does not, it appears, extend to gender.