Have you ever watched the news reels and old publicity films from the turn of the last century? Have you noticed 2 things about them in particular (apart from the theme of the movie/newsreel that is!!)??

Apart from number of horses drawing carriages on the streets and their gradual disappearance and replacement by the first crude automobiles, the footpaths and pavements were utterly thronged with people. On closer examination, every single man and boy walking, standing around or perambulating was wearing a hat, and that was irrespective of their deemed social position, or how much money they either had or appeared to have. To be seen in public, you simply HAD to wear a hat.

Everybody seemed to know their place, and the "Class system", although not formally written down, is clearly evident, so you can see the gentry being deferred to as people lower down the "class order" made way for them, and seemed to know their place in the social order.

The second thing to note is the very small number of women/ladies who are on view. They too had their heads covered, but they seem to be very much aware that one only went out for functional purposes ie. Getting from place to place, but not for any type of social interaction????basically living the unwritten law that stated "A woman's place was in the home", and there she stayed.

As times have changed, so too have our attitudes and societies attitudes to what were once considered "norms". Some 60 years after the old news reels mentioned above, the man of the house couldn't get work, so the housewife went out to work in the factories, becoming the breadwinner and often keeping the family together while in the words of the song "the town I loved so well" the men on the dole played the mothers role.

In parallel to Societal changes, educational opportunities have become more widespread for women, and more and more are at all levels in the workplace, but what has "lagged" behind these changes has been the perception of women's need for, and therefore adequate funding of, a Pension. Less than half of Irish women who are entitled to have a Pension actually have one??.and many realise too late that they face SERIOUS financial hardship when they retire, often only realising their predicament when it's too late to do something about it.

If you're a woman, why don't you get in touch with Enda in Keystone Insurance NOW and discuss your options??.after all what's the worst that can happen? You discover that you're paying the taxman too much and could be getting tax relief on both the contributions to your Pension Plan, and the growth of that Plan? Go on, do it NOW, he doesn't bite??????????????????.much!