At least here in the United States, it feels like a continued long slog until women achieve anything close to parity. So it’s always interesting to look overseas to see what it might look like (even if the “research” takes the form of TV shows).
A few years ago I fell hard for the Danish series, Borgen. It was like a much better version of West Wing, where the Prime Minister was a progressive woman and she coped with nasty politics, enormous male egos, a fraying marriage and the struggle of raising kids while working a stressful job. Watching it, I got the feeling that any attempt to handle all these variables would bring a man, sobbing, to his knees.
Recently, I discovered the Dutch series, Black Widow, a much darker scenario in which the wife of a man who deals hash but gets in over his head with cocaine and is murdered, takes over the business. Over three seasons, she basically becomes a female Tony Soprano, but smarter, way more likable and also deals with sexism, a new relationship and raising kids. All without a therapist.
I don’t watch much tv; I know there are several shows where women are in power positions, but Black Widow especially feels like something different. Carmen, the boss, is an excellent mother, trying to keep her kids away from the business, listening to them when they make mistakes, always supportive. When it comes to ordering hits on those trying to bring her down (and there are a lot of them), she doesn’t act out of spite or hormonal rage, but weighs her options before going ahead with it or, occasionally, not. The men around her, meanwhile, fire away like all of Amsterdam is a skeet range.
Even the men who work for these women let their sexist attitudes fly, which makes it feel more realistic (and depressing). It does give the impression that we are a very very long way from the time when a woman can order a vote — or a hit — and the men follow through with respect. But at least we can watch and dream.
Kate Staples 