Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Let all the dreamers wake the nation

There's been lots of talk lately about feminism. Maureen Dowd, usually revered by the modern woman pissed a lot of them off last week with her take on the issue. Maybe it's a conspiracy over at the New York Times, they were the ones who started it all up again with a story on women in Ivy League Colleges admitting that they most likely will abandon the career they haven't even obtained yet to marry and stay home to raise their children. I won't even begin to go there, except to say that anyone who claims to know what path they are going to choose years before they're confronted with it should be taken with a grain of salt, and a very large shot of tequila. With thirty-eight years, thirteen years of marriage, and three kids on my resume I 'm allowed to say that with a modicum of authority. Instead I was inspired to list things in my life that exemplify feminism in my life.

The first of which, and the source of inspiration being the sight of my long, dark, sculptured nails in the mirror of the gym as they wrapped around barbell I was curling.

2) Having my daughter ask me why we can't just print more money for victims of hurricane Katrina turn into a lesson in economics and civics.

3) My chosen profession allows me to practice part-time with all the benefits and respect if I worked full time, and my being home to parent gives me the opportunity to explore other means of personal satisfaction.

4) My boss is a woman.

5) My oldest son makes jewelry.

6) I can bake a pie and fix a toilet. (Not simultaneously, never fear.)

7) My husband knows not to dry my delicates when he does laundry.

8) I can throw a perfect spiral.

9) I know more about sports and the rules of football and hockey than my husband.

10) I walk around naked or in my underwear in the morning because I can.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chica, I just posted one of her articles on my blog. I guess she is really popular right now with her book coming out. =D

Anonymous said...

I love your list toots. There is nothing worse than a woman who plays "needy". That really irks me.
Sheila

Also proud to be a woman:
Married 21 years
Full time nurse 23 years
Full time mom (less than one month shy of 18 years)

Anonymous said...

I think the point of the NYT article is that they CAN choose what they want to do. Even with the advantages of the Ivy league, they are choosing to postpone or leave a career, or having a bit of both. Seems that after generations of women pushing the extremes, some are finding balance.

And I find you list odd......I don't get some of the items.

Gina said...

the point of the NYT article is that they CAN choose what they want to do. Even with the advantages of the Ivy league, they are choosing to postpone or leave a career, or having a bit of both. Seems that after generations of women pushing the extremes, some are finding balance.

I agree wholeheartedly. I celebrate the choice that movement gave us. The only problem, and one that has many traditional "feminists" up in arms is the potential backlash. If this is becoming the trend, then high power jobs like law firms, business, competative surgical programs could choose to pass on hiring young women fearing that they will invest in training them only to have them leave in a few years to have a baby.

The other is many people have no "choice."

Anonymous said...

It may seem like 2 steps forward and 2 back, but the number of women that stay working and the number of women that return to work after having kids is documented. I'm at the point in my career that if I left for a year (and I would not want to) my salary level would not suffer. This would not have been the case 5 years ago.

And what's with "no" choice? You mean women that have to go back to work after spawning? That's a matter of economics, not feminism.