We're not slaves! Women jack in dinner duty

FOR decades, the women of Broughty Castle Bowling Club have turned out every Saturday night to prepare an evening meal for the male members of the club – dishing out mince and tatties, steak pies and beef olives with all the trimmings as an unpaid labour of love.

But now the female members have declared war in an unprecedented battle of the sexes and have told the astonished male members of the club that they are sick and tired of being treated like "kitchen slaves".

They have demanded the club either shares the task of preparing and serving the meals across the membership or contract an outside agency to provide the service.

And, in retaliation, the male members of the club have gone on the offensive, sending a letter to all 50 members of the ladies' section, threatening to increase their annual fees from £46 to £87 – 75 per cent of full membership – unless they carry on with their kitchen duties.

Under the current rules, only the 100 male members of the club pay the full £115 annual membership fee. The ladies are designated as associate members and only pay £46 a year.

Betty Baxter, the president of the ladies' section of the club, founded in 1867, said the women had simply had enough of waiting hand and foot on the men at the club.

Mrs Baxter, 73, whose husband Bill is a member at the club on the outskirts of Dundee, said: "The men think a woman's place is in the kitchen – they tell you that. We are slaves to them."

She explained that, for years, it had been a club tradition for members of the women's section to turn up at the club on Saturday nights to prepare an evening meal for the men.

"We don't cook the meals," she said. "They come in hot from a local butcher. We come down and set the tables for 48 men. We ring a bell and the men come in and we serve the food. Then we clear the tables, do all the dishes and tidy up. I don't think they appreciate the work we do.

"We voted at our last meeting not to do the teas any more. The fact is we are all getting too old to do teas. Most of us are retired, pensioners in their 70s and 80s.

"We would like to see the load being spread and the men should take their turn. But I am happy to pay the extra fee and not do any teas at all."

And she claimed: "They (the men] want things to stay as they are but we are rebelling against that. It's going to be war."

Jim Christie, the club vice-president, refused to be drawn on the row. He said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on this as nothing has been decided yet."

But a letter, sent by club officials to the lady members, states: "The committee members are disappointed by the recent decision taken at an AGM of the ladies' section that the ladies will no longer serve meals to men on Saturdays from 2009. Saturday afternoon games are a source of considerable revenue to the club through bar sales.

"Our reputation for hospitality is due in no small part to the ladies' section who do sterling work on behalf of the club."

The letter adds that, in order to "mitigate the damage" the ladies' decision will cause, the club's committee is recommending associate members fees should be set at 75 per cent of the full membership. But ladies who volunteer to continue providing the meals service will stay on the basic £46 fee.

Douglas Reid, the chief executive of the Scottish Bowling Association, the game's main governing body, backed the women last night.

He said: "It is still pretty commonplace in Scottish bowling clubs that the ladies do the teas. But in a lot of clubs there are now equal fees. I feel that, if the ladies are getting on in years, and they want to have break … then quite rightly so. I see no reason why the guys can't do the teas as well."

Mr Reid added that his association was already involved in detailed discussions with the Scottish Women's Bowling Association to bring in an equality and ethical policy and to have "equality across the board".

Broughty Ferry resident Mary Henderson, who is an active member of Engender, an organisation for women's rights, said: "Effectively, the women are being paid to look after the kitchen so it should be up to each individual to decide what they want to do. I don't think it is something that needs to be decided as a group."

Broughty Ferry councillor Derek Scott said: "I take part in a number of social events and I'm always perfectly happy to roll up my sleeves and get to work in the kitchen.

"In saying that, I think it's a matter for the club. I hope they can resolve the issue amicably and that everyone can get back to enjoying their bowling."

WHAT NEXT

A NEW Single Equality Act, aimed at updating and harmonising existing anti-discrimination and equality legislation, is expected to be introduced by the government in the spring of next year.

Issues to be addressed include moves to stop golf clubs from treating women as second-class members.

Under the proposed legislation, private clubs will be banned from discriminating between members on grounds of gender. The move could end the practice of having separate bars for male and female members, or golf or other sporting clubs allowing ladies to play only on some days or at particular times.

It is thought likely to apply only to equal treatment of a club's members, so women's football teams will not be forced to admit men.

The act will also tackle the problem of elderly people being refused credit cards and loans.

It is also hoped that it will help end other inequalities, such as the gender pay gap.