I don't know any man who cannot do things like change a flat tire. Many of us pay for roadside assistance. This covers anything from jump-starting a flat battery, to changing a tire, to being towed away if your car stops in the middle of nowhere.

I have never called such a company (even though I am paying for the service) to change a flat. Maybe I will do it one day if I am dressed up in a good suit and have to get to a meeting looking spotless.

Recently I was with a friend and we got a flat and he called his company to come and change it. I was surprised when I heard the conversation at the other end (it was on speaker phone). The guy at the other end told my friend ''we're very busy tonight, you're a man, can't you change it yourself?''

I started to cringe and I think my friend was made to feel as if he should cringe too because he was convinced to change tyres himself (well, we did it together).

Meanwhile, several women have told me that they found their cars with a flat while they were in their garages - and the roadside assistance companies actually visited them at home in their own garages to change a flat. I must admit that I did not look at the contracts very carefully - but a roadside assistance company is meant to help you when you get in trouble on the road, not when you are at home in your own garage.