Feminists liked to sneer that ‘a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle’. The same feminists, as it happens, are so terrified the imminent arrival of sexbots (oh, you know it’s gonna happen) will make women irrelevant to men that they’re pre-emptively demanding they be banned. To throw another old joke back at them, men only need women because sheep can’t cook. (Not that that’s ever mattered to Kiwis, of course.)
As ever, though, reality is the best antidote to feminist fantasies. Take the creepy rape fantasy so beloved of feminists, The Handmaid’s Tale: its entire thesis has been completely falsified by the second-most populous nation on Earth. China has a dearth of fertile young women. It’s also a fanatically patriarchal culture (even in the mid-20th century, girls in peasant families were often not even dignified with a name).
And women’s utter dependence on men is being demonstrated in multiple European countries.
Feminists might brag about a ‘women-only’ island community in Finland. Except that men had to be allowed on the island occasionally to, y’know, fix stuff. So much for those strong, independent women.
In another European country, the opposite to China has occurred: the gender imbalance has favoured women. Women who, as it turns out, are so desperate for men that they’re hiring them by the hour. Not for sex – but to, y’know, fix stuff.
Eurostat reports that Latvia has 15.5 per cent more women than men, over three times the European Union average. According to local media, that gap widens dramatically with age. The World Atlas notes that women over 65 outnumber men nearly two-to-one. There’s a national shortage of dateable, reliable, or even available men, and the cultural fallout is starting to show up in the most domestic corners of life.
Women like Dania, who, notably, “works at festivals”. I think it’s safe to say she’s not doing anything as necessary as emptying the portaloos. Still, I guess someone has to decide what colour the pills, which are the only reason anyone would put up with three days of mud and shitty music, should be.
Tellingly, Latvian women’s biggest complaint seems to be that an all-women environment is just plain stultifying.
“Ninety-eight percent of my colleagues are women,” she said. She wasn’t complaining, but she admitted the imbalance gets dull. “Just for the good balance, you would want to have some more men to flirt or chat with.”
Feminists can fantasise all they like about a world where men are obsolete and sexbots will be banned before they arrive. Reality keeps delivering the punchline. When the pipes burst or the shelf collapses, the strong, independent women of Latvia are not calling other women. They are calling men to do the simplest practical tasks that are apparently beyond the abilities of strong, independent women – and paying by the hour for the privilege.
Enter the booming rent-a-husband industry. Platforms like Komanda24 advertise “Men With Golden Hands,” offering plumbing, carpentry, repairs, and anything else that requires tools and patience. Another service, Remontdarbi.lv, lets women hire a “husband for an hour,” promising someone who will show up within the hour, paint a wall, fix curtains, and leave without small talk […]
Latvia’s version isn’t meant to be romantic in any way. It’s simply what happens when a country runs low on men, and women still need someone to fix the damn sink.
Turns out that the fish really does need the bicycle – it’s just too useless to even change a tyre when it goes flat.
