Not just feminism - age, religien etc. I dont want to be turned down for a job for example because i'm too old despite just having finished uni. The whole thing could do with changing
similarly, i feel no more strongly about discrimination on the basis of gender than i do about discrimination on the basis of sexuality, age, colour, or ability. therefore, i would not call myself a feminist.
i could have a rant about being left out of feminism because of my desire to have children and be a homemaker, or my lack of interest in crippling shoes, but, frankly, it's been said many times before.
Hm, see, I find that odd; to me, feminism is about being able to make choices, whether they involve footwear or families. Choosing to have children and wear comfortable shoes is just as much a feminist choice as choosing not to have kids, and to wear heels all the time.
Choosing to have children and wear comfortable shoes is just as much a feminist choice as choosing not to have kids, and to wear heels all the time.
theoretically that's true. but it's been a much harder choice to make since the rise of feminism. simple economics makes it much harder for women to work from home, or to work as homemakers when other families have two breadwinners.
but what i actually meant was that the vast majority of accessible feminist groups are more interested in defying traditional roles. a woman who would rather it were easier to choose to stay at home barefoot and pregnant is often seen as a threat to the cause. not always, of course.
apart from that, i think there are other causes, largely ignored by mainstream feminism, which will do more for equality of work and of pay for women. extending full paternity leave to men, for example, will remove the risk in employers minds of hiring a woman.
but what i actually meant was that the vast majority of accessible feminist groups are more interested in defying traditional roles. Well, yes; I guess it is assumed that it's already accepted and therefore easy to stay home barefoot and pregnant, if that's what you want. Of course, as you mention, economic changes have made that more difficult now.
extending full paternity leave to men, for example, will remove the risk in employers minds of hiring a woman. You did notice that that was one of the issues I raised in my original post, right?
Extending full paternity leave to men won't work - acording to some reasearch I read a while back, fathers of young children spend MORE time at work then before the child was born. And in any case - most men are so hung up in their gender role that they wouldn't hack being the home parent. Increasing numbers do, but it's still hardly any. I'm not saying it's right, by the way.
But as a confirmed non-parent, I object to a lot of "family friendly policies" only being extended to those with children.
Gender roles change over time though, and making changes possible helps to alter them. In some Scandewegian countries, for example, it's normal and accepted for men to take paternity leave, and house-husbandry is becoming much more common.
I don't resent paretns their family priveleges; sick people get sick leave, and parents need time to look after their kids; I think that's fair enough. After all, we need _someone_ to be procreating, otherwise who will tend to us in our nursing homes when we're old and incontinent? :-)
I feel almost thte opposite way. I want to have children, and if I stay at home to look after them, I want that to be because that's the decision that my partner and I have come to as a family, not because that's the only optionthat we have. Third-wave feminism (think of feminist magazines like Bust) is about freedom to do stuff, whether that's knitting or plumbing or child-rearing or managing a business.
the way i see it, *someone* has to look after kids. i'd rather it was as practical for their mothers to look after them as for their mothers to put them in some awful child-farm with a whole load of other kids and some poor woman getting paid minimum wage. but the fact remains, i feel no more strongly about this than i do about 55 yr old men who can't get get a new job when their company goes out of business. and as such, i can't call myself a feminist.
(The comment has been removed)
The whole thing could do with changing
Reply
i could have a rant about being left out of feminism because of my desire to have children and be a homemaker, or my lack of interest in crippling shoes, but, frankly, it's been said many times before.
Reply
Reply
theoretically that's true. but it's been a much harder choice to make since the rise of feminism. simple economics makes it much harder for women to work from home, or to work as homemakers when other families have two breadwinners.
but what i actually meant was that the vast majority of accessible feminist groups are more interested in defying traditional roles. a woman who would rather it were easier to choose to stay at home barefoot and pregnant is often seen as a threat to the cause. not always, of course.
apart from that, i think there are other causes, largely ignored by mainstream feminism, which will do more for equality of work and of pay for women. extending full paternity leave to men, for example, will remove the risk in employers minds of hiring a woman.
Reply
Well, yes; I guess it is assumed that it's already accepted and therefore easy to stay home barefoot and pregnant, if that's what you want. Of course, as you mention, economic changes have made that more difficult now.
extending full paternity leave to men, for example, will remove the risk in employers minds of hiring a woman.
You did notice that that was one of the issues I raised in my original post, right?
Reply
yep, but i wouldn't really class you as a "mainstream feminist".
Reply
But as a confirmed non-parent, I object to a lot of "family friendly policies" only being extended to those with children.
Reply
I don't resent paretns their family priveleges; sick people get sick leave, and parents need time to look after their kids; I think that's fair enough. After all, we need _someone_ to be procreating, otherwise who will tend to us in our nursing homes when we're old and incontinent? :-)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment