I dunno. When I was young, men had short hair, wore trousers and owned at most two pairs of shoes. Men of my grandfathers' generation who were manual workers owned one suit, usually the famous 'demob suit' which they wore for weddings and funerals, one 'sports jacket' and a couple of pairs of trousers. Office workers had two suits - one for work and a 'best suit' - usually 'made to measure'. They never went outdoors without a collar and tie and a hat or cap. Men ofmy fathers' generation might have as many as two 'off the peg' suits and perhaps two jackets and four pairs of trousers as well as the made to measure best suit. They only wore hats when it rained. Most were clean-shaven, only academics, actors and old man wore beards, while a young man with a moustache was either a 'lounge lizard' or a 'spiv'. They wore Brylcreem in their hair and if they wore aftershave it was Old Spice or Bay Rum. They didn't use deodorant and had a bath once a week, whether they needed it or not!

But they always held doors open, or opened doors for, women. They never allowed a woman they were with to pay for anything, or carry anything heavier than her handbag. They always walked between her and the road so she didn't get splashed and they always offered an arm.

Were women abused back then? Yes, but not as often or for as long. Why not? Because no mother allowed her daughter to move more than a couple of streets away when she married. Because people married and had kids younger, so a married woman in her 20s would have a father still under 50. They had more kids, so any woman was likely to have one or more brothers and male cousins living locally. Too many black eyes or bruises- a change in behaviour or mood and Mother would be on it and get the truth. Then Dad, uncles, brothers and cousins would 'have a word' with the offender behind the pub one night! Only middle-class women with fewer close family links would suffer sustained abuse.

Nowadays, men are carefully groomed, showered, moisturised, perfumed and picky about their outfits. But women get less respect and are more likely to be abused.

No wonder there's a problem!