Last week I booked a restaurant for myself and my Dad (the Potted Pig in Cardiff). I’d been wanting to try it for a while and to some extent it was a random choice.
The day before Dad had been telling me a story about my Mum (she passed in 2020) and how he’d forgotten to meet her on her last day at work when she was pregnant with me (bad Dad!).
It wasn’t until part way through the meal that he casually informed me that the restaurant we were in was actually in the basement of the very workplace that was part of that story (a former bank).
The key part of the story was that when my Mum got pregnant, pregnancy was considered a fireable offence in many companies. And whilst she wasn’t fired, it was assumed she would just leave. There was no question of working, returning to work or indeed maternity leave. Attitudes to working mums was “basic”.
In fact, compulsory maternity leave wasn’t a thing back then as it was only made law in the UK in 1975, and even then it was fairly patchily implemented.
So despite all the bad things going on in the world right now, it got me to thinking about all the positive things that have happened in my lifetime. When I was born global poverty, disease, literacy rates, gender equality and global awareness of environmental issues were a lot worse than today. But since then many things have improved:
Dramatic decrease in child mortality rates, increased life expectancy worldwide, and advancements in disease treatment like HIV/AIDS medications. Near elimination of diseases like polio, tetanus, measles, and diphtheria.
Advancements in medical science: organ transplantation, cancer treatments, and DNA testing/sequencing.
Increased gender equality (including compulsory maternity/paternity leave).
Higher global literacy rates with increased access to education, particularly for girls in many regions.
The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War.
The Montreal Protocol successfully reducing ozone depletion, increased focus on renewable energy sources, and greater global environmental awareness.
Development of the internet, widespread access to information, and innovations in communication technology.
We have to believe things can only get better.