To Be or Not to Be . . . a Feminist
Yesterday I spent an hour reading a discussion thread on whether or not Sarah Palin is a feminist. The general consensus with the majority of the posters was that she is not a feminist because she doesn't advocate any legal measures that give women equality with men. They also generally conceded that she is an "empowered" woman who has clearly benefited from all the hard-won concessions that feminists have fought for over the years, even if she doesn't care to continue the fight.
OK, I'm going to get on my own personal soapbox for a minute, so feel free to leave now if you want!
On continuing the fight to give legal equality to women . . . um, maybe I'm living in a different country, but don't we already have that? Is there absolutely any area that we don't already have the laws protecting us from discrimination, allowing us to vote, etc.? Quite a few of the posters also argued that abortion availability is a necessity to make women equal, but even granting that (which I don't believe is true), do we not already have the legal right to get an abortion? How can you argue that this country still lacks the laws needed to make women equal to men?
Maybe I'm an ungrateful wretch who grew up with all the many blessings that the feminist movement provided while complacently refusing to "continue the fight" also, because I don't believe there is a fight anymore. I'm not saying that there aren't people out there who think that women are inferior-- I know there are. But so what? I can choose to live life my whining that my path to success is blocked by chauvinists at every turn, or I can just take responsibility for myself and ignore the occasional rude pig I run into.
One of my favorite blogs to visit is Cake Wrecks, and right now, Women for Obama has an ad on the site proclaiming that women make only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes. (Then they make a pronouncement that only Obama supports equal wages for equal work-- absurd, but that's another topic.) If that wage information is accurate, I can think of other reasons that it might be the truth. Once again, I can only use my personal experience, but before I had M, I worked full-time for a company as a consultant-- one of those career paths that could have led me to all the supposed feminist success to make me an empowered woman. Now there was a man that started about the same time as I did doing the same job, who got paid probably about $5,000 more a year. OH, the SHAME! I should have been filing a complaint, right? They paid me less because I am a mere woman! However, my boss explained to me (I hadn't even asked) that since my associate had an actual degree as a fire protection engineer, they were paying him more for the degree and the value it had to the company. Later, I trained another woman to replace me when I decided to leave and stay home with M. She didn't have a bachelor degree at all, and later went on to make far more money than either me or the other man, because she absolutely devoted her life to her job and she was good at it! Doesn't really sound like discrimination. I'm sure I could have had the same success she did, except it wasn't something I wanted.
It's just my opinion, but perhaps more women on average make less than men because they make different decisions. They choose to have children (which does make it difficult to be as productive and successful.) They choose careers that pay less more often. They choose not to work at all, like me. Still, the reality is we as women make those choices. They aren't imposed on us because of legal restraints.
By the way, since when do I have to succeed at a high-powered career (or be elected as Governor) to be an "empowered woman?"
OK, I'm going to get on my own personal soapbox for a minute, so feel free to leave now if you want!
On continuing the fight to give legal equality to women . . . um, maybe I'm living in a different country, but don't we already have that? Is there absolutely any area that we don't already have the laws protecting us from discrimination, allowing us to vote, etc.? Quite a few of the posters also argued that abortion availability is a necessity to make women equal, but even granting that (which I don't believe is true), do we not already have the legal right to get an abortion? How can you argue that this country still lacks the laws needed to make women equal to men?
Maybe I'm an ungrateful wretch who grew up with all the many blessings that the feminist movement provided while complacently refusing to "continue the fight" also, because I don't believe there is a fight anymore. I'm not saying that there aren't people out there who think that women are inferior-- I know there are. But so what? I can choose to live life my whining that my path to success is blocked by chauvinists at every turn, or I can just take responsibility for myself and ignore the occasional rude pig I run into.
One of my favorite blogs to visit is Cake Wrecks, and right now, Women for Obama has an ad on the site proclaiming that women make only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes. (Then they make a pronouncement that only Obama supports equal wages for equal work-- absurd, but that's another topic.) If that wage information is accurate, I can think of other reasons that it might be the truth. Once again, I can only use my personal experience, but before I had M, I worked full-time for a company as a consultant-- one of those career paths that could have led me to all the supposed feminist success to make me an empowered woman. Now there was a man that started about the same time as I did doing the same job, who got paid probably about $5,000 more a year. OH, the SHAME! I should have been filing a complaint, right? They paid me less because I am a mere woman! However, my boss explained to me (I hadn't even asked) that since my associate had an actual degree as a fire protection engineer, they were paying him more for the degree and the value it had to the company. Later, I trained another woman to replace me when I decided to leave and stay home with M. She didn't have a bachelor degree at all, and later went on to make far more money than either me or the other man, because she absolutely devoted her life to her job and she was good at it! Doesn't really sound like discrimination. I'm sure I could have had the same success she did, except it wasn't something I wanted.
It's just my opinion, but perhaps more women on average make less than men because they make different decisions. They choose to have children (which does make it difficult to be as productive and successful.) They choose careers that pay less more often. They choose not to work at all, like me. Still, the reality is we as women make those choices. They aren't imposed on us because of legal restraints.
By the way, since when do I have to succeed at a high-powered career (or be elected as Governor) to be an "empowered woman?"
Comments
And you're not an ungrateful wretch, you're an ungrateful WENCH. WENCH. Remember that.