When I arrived in the office yesterday morning, I noticed something interesting. A cleaning lady, not far off from 60, had her leg bandaged up and was supported by a crutch. Yet she had come into work. After exchanging the normal Monday morning greetings, she explained what happened and was grateful that her employer had shown consideration by adjusting her duties. She seemed pleased by that.
She should really have been at home, yet her situation got me thinking about work and health and attitudes to them. I tried to imagine British Mirpuri and Pakistani women of a similar age- and indeed a large number of men of that age. When our people reach that age, they start complaining of health problems. Sometimes they are real, like heart disease. At other times, the ailments are undefined and unspecific- just severely aching bones, tiredness, breathlessness and the like. Heaven forbid that they should work. Those that do are often dismissed as wretched.
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