Boris babbles sexism

Recently Boris Johnson revolutionised the thinking of thousands of female undergraduates with his theories on “assortative mating”.

University is the perfect baiting ground for this supposed sociological phenomenon to occur. It’ll take three long years, £27,000 in tuition fees and around £12,000 in maintenance loans, but once you’ve ruled out your weaker male counterparts with variables such as “social class” or “inheritance tax”, you will finally achieve success in the form of one very expensive husband.

Boris’ recent suggestion that women attend university “They’ve got to find men to marry” at the World Islamic Forum was a new level of buffoonery even for a man notorious for, er, being a buffoon.

Rather than issuing an apology, Johnson has defended his comments, “It is utterly ludicrous and infuriating to suggest that I think women go to University to find a husband. I was merely pointing out something that I’ve said several times before – that with a graduate cohort 68 per cent female you intensify the phenomenon sociologists identify as assortative mating.”

In light of his recent remarks, a column written by the Mayor in 2007 has resurfaced. Boris argues that middle-class female graduates who marry middle-class male graduates are responsible for pushing up house prices and thereby leaving lower income mothers with: “[…] no choice but to work, often with adverse consequences for family life and society as a whole — in that unloved and undisciplined children are more likely to become hoodies, NEETS, and mug you on the street corner.”

So, there you have it. We greedy academics are not only utilising middle-class men in order to “entrench” our economic advantages by going to university, but we’re also now responsible for youth culture and mugs, too. Johnson’s pontification on the socio-economic state of Britain is not only incredibly thoughtless but pathetically misinformed. Such sexist and classist generalisations make his recent “joke” all the more insidious.

Despite his history of adultery and an official complaint being lodged due to his sexist remarks to senior female members, Johnson is incredibly popular amongst female voters. A recent YouGov poll showed that he held an impressive 18 point lead among female Londoners (59% to 41%).

With such archaic and offensive views, he is hardly repaying the loyalty of his predominantly female voters. One might ask why the female population continue to vote in his favour.

According to a report recently published by the Fawcett Society which blandishes London as “the worst place to live in the UK if you’re a woman”, women working in the capital earn a shocking 22.8% less than men. If the average 14.8% gap between men and women’s salaries in the UK wasn’t already a harrowing statistic, this figure is sure to send every hard working London woman’s heart sinking to the ground.

To add to the debate, a recent report published by The Centre of Economic Performance highlights the problem of gender bias for female graduates. The report reveals that female students who obtain a first-class degree do not earn any more than their male classmates with a 2:1. Men with a first on average earn a shocking six percent more – which adds up to £1,780 extra a year.

Boris’ recent remarks do incredibly little in terms of narrowing the gender pay gap. In fact, for many, his toffish humour seems merely add to the buffoon’s charm.

So, Ladies, it seems that we have simply been doing it wrong. With the state of the country our motivation might as well be to marry a sexist, so forget the First class honours.

You might even be lucky enough to find yourself your own Boris incarnate. A bumbling, blonde buffoon whose main talents are to include philandering, fathering love children, and sexist slurs.

Personally, I think I’d be asking for my money back.

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Images courtesy of: Flickr / Think London & BackBoris2012