Women's Equality

[leeyesa]

Hey Giggles!

I'm doing research for a project on Feminist Critiques of the Social Contract, and I figured I'd get the input of the raddest group of ladies on the internet. While I realize you saw the word "feminist" and have already begun to envision me with a shaved head and saggy boobs, I assure you I am in fact just a normal college girl with long hair, chipped nails and somewhat perky ta-tas (thanks Victoria's Secret!) trying to make an A and change some minds.

What I'm interested to know is whether or not you feel discriminated against only on the basis of being a woman. If you do, what do you believe is the reasoning behind it? Is the reason we women, who are the bomb.com (is that still acceptable to say...? It's still 2004, right?) haven't reached equality yet because our societal system doesn't allow it?

[brightasyellow]

I think it's interesting that you wrote about having to qualify what the word "feminist" is. That's something that makes me think women are still not accepted as equals because if we have to qualify a word that means wanting equal rights for women, something's wrong.

[elizabethlsiegel]

It really makes irks me that people don't understand the true meaning of feminism!

To answer your question, the only time I really that I'm being discriminated against for being a woman is when I talk to guys about punk rock music. It's a huge part of my life and a lot of guys talk down to me and act like I don't know my s--t just because I'm a woman who does not by any means dress like the girls they typically see at punk shows. For a very long time I wanted to be a music journalist and I tried very hard to make this happen but I just wasn't taken seriously. Rock and roll is sadly dominated by *.

[Ptree82]

I think there are some aspects of life that women will excel in and other aspects that men will excel in. I don't know as much about cars as a man might and because of that I might get taken advantage of by a mechanic or a car salesman. Do I feel particularly offended by this? No. I don't feel like I've ever been held back because I'm a woman but everyone has a role to play in life. Gender doesn't necessarily guide those roles all the time but it can affect them. I just don't think that's really a bad thing.

[anne]

I do feel discriminated against as a woman! I come from a culture that encourages males to put a woman on some sort of pedestal. This may seem like, "wow, I should be grateful!" but the reasons behind it are clear indications of inequity. "Women are weaker" and should be protected. Good women act/dress/talk in a certain "respectable" way and are submissive. Those who do otherwise are not ideal wives - as if that's all women are good for.

I mean, politically, we (Philippines) look fine since we've had two female presidents and have representation in congress, but that doesn't mean women are free from criticism. In fact, being a woman with a career would guarantee more time under the spotlight because everyone wants to see "what she can do beyond her household duties." Barf.

Currently, there are advantages and disadvantages to womanhood, but the thing is, these shouldn't exist. There shouldn't be preferential treatment nor discrimination based on gender. Or based on anything.

[HuckFinn1]

I think it's interesting that you wrote about having to qualify what the word "feminist" is. That's something that makes me think women are still not accepted as equals because if we have to qualify a word that means wanting equal rights for women, something's wrong.

I agree with this. The fact that "feminist" is still a dirty words speaks volumes.

I feel discrimated against because I'm a woman in visible and less visible ways. One less visible is the fact that I think girls are brought up to be nice and accomodating. Perhaps many women are naturally nurturing, but I think often girls are brought up to believe that it's a woman's job to be nice to everyone. It's our job to put other's feelings and needs before our own. When a woman asserts herself or is not accomodating, she's frequently called a bitch (or pick your choice of term). Moreover, I think a woman often feels this about herself when she feels like she's not acting the "correct" way. I'm not claiming that men are not called names when they are unkind, but I don't think it's as common. I think this is because it's not expected as much of men to be nice. That's just my opinion.

[hiphopscotch]

While I realize you saw the word "feminist" and have already begun to envision me with a shaved head and saggy boobs, I assure you I am in fact just a normal college girl with long hair, chipped nails and somewhat perky ta-tas (thanks Victoria's Secret!) trying to make an A and change some minds.

Well, I think it speaks a lot about what a feminist is when you (not you, leeyesa specifically, but the universal you) imply that feminists have shaved heads and saggy boobs.

[hiphopscotch]

...and to answer your question, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I've never had anyone say something to me like YOU CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE A WOMAN, but I do feel like people in my office don't take me as seriously, which is either due to age (24) or gender. I show up early, dress professionally, and take my job seriously (I do watch a cat video here and there when my boss sends them to me), but I still feel like there's a "boy's club" here that I just can't break into, and I don't know if that's due to my age (the next youngest person is 28 or 29) or gender, but I definitely feel like it exists.

I have encountered a bit of "You're just not as capable as (some dude)" when I was in college and that made me want to tear my hair out. As I recall, we all got the same tests in my major and I didn't get easier tests because I'm female. That bothers me. I wrote a paper in college about how men are paid in female-dominated industries (nurse, teacher, waitstaff) and how women are paid in male-dominated industries (lawyers, construction workers, doctors) and no matter what, men are paid more HOWEVER, women who employed in male-dominated industries were paid better than men who were employed in female-dominated industries, which leads us to the point that women can be accepted in male industries, but we don't accept men in female industries. You can see this in that we have a word for a male nurse (murse), but we have a word for female engineers/doctors/lawyers. This was a strangely received paper (lots of people shaking their heads, but a few people came and congratulated me on a great paper and presentation), but I think "feminism" is one of those words that sends people on a tear.

I'm a feminist, but not a man-hater, in fact, I think men and women should be treated equally.

[brightasyellow]

hiphop - Why do you have to qualify being a feminist with saying you're not a man hater? What makes you a feminist is that you think men and women should be treated equally. That's the entire definition of feminism.

[hiphopscotch]

I think a lot of people assume that "feminist" is equivalant to "man-hater."

I understand what feminist means and my point in the last sentence is that men aren't treated the same as women and women aren't treated the same as men, like men who are nurses are seen as less masculine than men who are construction workers, but society is (typically) fine with women who are engineers (female engineers aren't seen as less feminine than female nurses). My point in the last sentence is to underscore what a feminist is, not to create a new vision of what feminism means.