There are few places on the internet as misunderstood as Mumsnet. To the uninitiated, it is a safe space where home counties housewives bicker about the correct way to slice an avocado. But people who’ve actually been on the site know it for what it is: a forum where desperate, often disadvantaged, women go for help.
If you ever want to get an idea of how many mothers in this country are living impecunious half-lives, with the boot of an abuser on their necks, spend an hour on the Mumsnet relationship boards. It’s eye-opening, and not in a good way. Small wonder that the feminism espoused there is pretty hardline. There is very little in the way of girl-boss, all-choices-are-great cheerleading on Mumsnet. The women who write back to posters are feminists of the radical kind. They have experienced the sharp end of male entitlement. Their wisdom is hard-won and their advice is tough and practical.
