10:17am Saturday 10th May 2008
In the days when they used towels for nappies and plastic matting in the hallway was cool - everyone and anyone had a woman sitting in the back seat of the car.
Sitting in the front seat was for men only - the woman sat in the back and that my dear good friends was that.
The very idea of the woman sitting in the front seat was out of the question. Only the moderns' did that and that only when they were attending weddings.
It was an odd sight but I guess the women of yesteryear kind of enjoyed the experience of being chauffeured around.
On long trips the back seat woman would dish out all the necessary samosas, pakoras, cold drinks, hot drinks, sweets, kit kats, nayzay (small nut things), bombay mix, custard cream biscuits all from one carrier bag.
My own mother was an expert at this and on one trip to Heathrow Airport when we ran out of food she managed to keep us all of us occupied by giving us half a fruit pastile to chew on every thirty minutes.
In tandem with my father she therefore managed to complete the journey without stopping at a single service station.
It was pure genius really.
I got so used to women only being allowed to sit in the back seat when I got married I had to adjust to the fact she was allowed' to sit in the front.
"Sitting in the front are you' I said.
Yes..you got a problem with that?' No...no...you do what makes you happy. I'm all for equal opportunities.' But remarkably the back seaters are still around. They can still be spotted being driven around in many parts of the country.
Now, some people might think that they are forced' to sit in the back. I can assure you it is all out of choice.
Although when I asked one husband why his wife sat in the back seat he replied... Well, there's no room in the boot.' Despite everything the back seaters usually have to work in pairs these days with their mother-in-laws. One must admit the greatest sight in the world is that of a Subura Impretza with the front seat empty and the back seat taken up by mum and wife.
But such is the circle of life for those thinking this Last Bit was sexist....check this.
The latest trend has seen a complete reversal of the roles. Just last week and I witnessed this with me own eyes - the lady was driving and her newly married husband from Pakistan was in the back seat with a puzzled look on his face as if to say... They said I was in for a shock but this is ridiculous!'
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