Doctor Who, Season Nine

[Aractus]

Both Amy and Clara have partners who the doctor repeatedly belittles in front of the women.

How is that sexist?

Because it's one of the many things that is demeaning to women specifically. "Oh really, YOU chose THAT guy?"

One of my friends had let's not say commitment issues, but certainly frustrations with her partner for a number of years - 2 or 3 in all. They've since gotten married and are very happy, but when she said to me that she was unhappy because A, B, and C I didn't say to her "oh well what do you expect when you chose a douche like that ratbag to form a relationship with". That would have been belittling her choice. It would have been sexist if I had - blaming her for his idiosyncrasies. I had a feeling it would pan itself out, and it did.

And what I actually said, by the way, was that you should be talking to him about these issues as he might be honestly unaware of them. I believe she did that, and he realised that certain behaviours (such as emptying the bank account without warning) were not acceptable within their relationship, and took the opportunity to grow and mature as a person.

When we're first introduced to River she's intelligent, strong, and independent. But she just regresses from there 

That's because the first time we meet River Song, she is basically from the furtherst part of the doctors future. She knows everything about the doctor, and all the adventures they've had. She gets progressively less confident and independant the more we see her, because every time we see her, she's had less and less adventures with the doctor, she has less experience and she is younger.

Well, what it tells me is that Moffat thinks behind a strong independent female is one who is a weak, dependant, pathetic, manipulative one.