When I was a young girl, I used to read the paper. Jobs were classified into:
HELP WANTED - MALE
HELP WANTED - FEMALE
When I was a teen, I decided I wanted to be what we called a "disc jockey". And, trust me, I had the skills. But I was female and, at the time, women in radio were few and far between. But I decided I would go for it anyway.
I went to the broadcasting school, and the director of admissions was shocked. He had only glanced at my last name when he looked over his appointments for the day, and did not expect to see a 17 year old girl show up. But after he listened to me, he was very impressed and why? Because he knew I could do the job. And I was accepted into the school - and he was actually excited about the possibilities.
(I didn't go, btw. My own inability to say no to anyone bit me in the ass when I ended up pregnant - no one's fault but my own.)
Men are inherently fair creatures - more so, IMHO, than many women. Most will give someone a chance as long as she or he doesn't expect special privileges or exceptions. Did those who were dead set against women in formerly men-only jobs need a gentle push to become more open-minded? Yes.
Was the man-hating agenda necessary, then, to break barriers? No, and it's gone so far now that many men are really beginning to hate us.
And the fault doesn't lie with them, it lies with US. Too many women are self-entitled, self-absorbed lazy bitches who want everything handed to them on a silver Vera Wang platter (which, of course, someone ELSE paid for). Don't get me wrong - many are not BUT my perception is that the number of selfish women who will lie and manipulate when they don't get their way is growing.....and why? Because they get away with their lies and demands with impunity - thanks to the feminists who scream "foul" everytime they feel a woman's "rights" have been violated.