Sexism is it rife? or blame it on crime?

I found this old letter I wrote 5 years ago to the local newspaper;

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the appalling increase in muggings and attacks in and around the greater Southfield area. i would like to take this opportunity to tell you the story of my daughter Melissa A.K.A." Argie girl". My daughter has always been an academic in school and in an effort to be independent she wanted to learn the value of money first hand by earning her own salary form a young age. As she was only 14 she was not old enough to waitress, so she managed to secure herself a job delivering the Argus to the entire area of Southfield. She started at the end of last year and all was going well. the local kids in the park would call out "here comes Argie girl" when she came around, some residents even gave her fruit and juice along her route. This lasted until two and a half months ago when she was attacked by five youths with a knife. They pushed her off her bicycle and relieved her of her cellphone. She arrived home in tears, shook up, but nevertheless determined to continue with her job. She decided not to become a victim and instead used this experience as a stepping -stone and not a stumbling block. she chose to walk her route in fear of the perpetrators returning for her bicycle. All was going well until two weeks ago when she was accosted yet again, this time by two youths who pushed her to the ground and proceeded to pull on her clothing in order to see if she was hiding a cellphone. this time she fought back, kicking and screaming until someone came walking by, the attackers the fled the scene. she arrived home in tears (yet again) a little less shook up, but wit the same determination as before. All I could think of was that this is one tough cookie. This time her father who is a Captain in the South African Police Service put his foot down and forbid her to continue in fear of further attacks. after relaying her story to her supervisor I was greeted with the same reaction as everyone else. "yes it is better if a boy does the job". As an O.B.E. trained teacher I have always held the opinion that racism and sexism has no place in the new democratic South Africa. I always taught girls they could play with cars and it's okay if boys play with dolls now and then, they will make great fathers someday. These ideals it seems have no place where crime is rife. i am still all for more women in the workforce, empowerment to women (hoorah hoorah, etc). Oh....but wait hold picket line. what happened to" Argie girl?" yes it is better for a boy to do the job. so the moral? I guess there are some things a girl can"t do.

Kambabe