I wanted to run this article from the Atlantic Monthly by some of my working mom friends, but realized at 20 pages long (I know, I printed it) none of them would have time to read it.
To summarize: in this article, a very successful working mother comments on whether or not women can “have it all.”
I found the article dissatisfying. It attempts to get at some of these very real problems around working, kids and balance, but addresses those questions from within a feminist framework, concluding that if the States had a female president, somehow things would be different. Simultaneously, however, she argues that work/life balance is getting better, thanks to men asking for changes…
I think I may have the book idea I’m always looking for: The end of the feminist era is upon us, through a combination of factors. It was always economically unsustainable and feminism, however it started, is ending by reflecting only the most extreme ideologues in the movement, women who didn’t actually have a solid concept of women’s freedom in mind. As a result, today, I think we are watching the crumbling of feminism all around us. The question I suppose is: what does this mean and what does the future hold?
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I am currently in university and am of an age where I know nothing of the struggles of original feminists. Instead, I am surrounded by womyn’s empowerment and similar beliefs and tendencies. Therefore, I may be wrong about this. But it seems to me that if feminism “collapsed” in the Western world, few would notice. In most areas of life, men and women are seen as equals with nearly identical opportunities, and it is only the self-identified feminists of today who see any major/drastic changes that still need to be made.
Saying that, a feminist presence (though hopefully a pro-life one!) still needs to make itself heard in other parts of the world. Certain places come to mind where women cannot drive, go out alone with men she is not related to, etc. (I apologize for any cultural insensitivity implied in this comment…)
@MightyMouse. I agree with you. I don’t think if feminism as we know it collapsed in the West that anyone would bat an eyelid. Not only in that many women don’t “feel” unequal, but that many women fall into and expect traditional male/female roles without much of an uprise.
Still, I do consider myself feminist, because I think TV shows like ‘The Choice’ illustrate how even here in the West we’re still in the dark ages in some areas, and because I know literally hundreds of women personally who think of little else than how attractive men find them. I do believe that what today’s feminists have been holding up as their banner of femininity is little more than a disfigured assimilation of the female. I’d like to be accepted as an equal, with all the “biological trappings” of being a woman. Meaning, yes I have PMS and I can become pregnant, but I’m still a person with value and dignity. I would like a feminism that doesn’t rely on the existence of a defeminizing route to equality, because to me that’s not feminism, that’s assimilation.
@Jennifer Derwey: “I know literally hundreds of women personally who think of little else than how attractive men find them.”
I have wondered/mused to myself whether this isn’t a result of modern feminism. Ie. I think women pre-sexual revolution may have been stronger/more independent than women are today. I could be wrong. Problem is the only people researching this are the women’s studies departments and I don’t trust their assessment of the situation. Hence why perhaps I need to pony up, do the research myself and write a book.
It’s funny, how I agree with your comment and yet do not want to be called a feminist. I don’t identify what you are saying with “feminism.”
thoughts to ponder.