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Add to FavoritesIS FEMINISM OUTDATED? YES.
Put down the placards, women; we've won.
The world needed feminism in the 70s and 80s to fight a serious gap between the sexes. It is all too easy to forget that a woman of the nuclear family sitcom era couldn't purchase a house on her own or in many places could not have an independent bank account, couldn't testify in court against her husband, couldn't hope to get the kind of money he did for the same amount of labor in the same position. Bob beat Judy to the boardroom every time. Sexual harassment in the workplace marked men's resentment against those women who dared to break through the pink lace ceiling into the world of cigar smoking and political discussions. Even in the nineties, men were making so much more than women doing the same job.
But that world is changing. Women sit on the Supreme Court. Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin made it to the national presidential election ballots. Women are CEOs and college presidents. Women own their own homes and businesses. In most places a woman takes home as much money as a man does. Often the only difference between men and women in the workplace is the cut of their suits or which restroom door they walk through.
The persistence of the feminist movement beyond the achievement of its goal as an equalizer and an awareness raiser for men is comparable to the persistence of the Iraqi War beyond Hussein's capture. When a thing goes on too long it becomes not a cause, but a habit. Too many women expect men to be abusive, lecherous, foul-mouthed, and conniving, and give them no opportunity to show that they can be any different. In reaction to their fears of the illusory monster they have given too much power to, women project onto men the image of bungling idiots, who serve only the useful purposes of sperm donation and jar opening. They dutifully pass these projections on to their daughters, who fight bravely against a cause they didn't create and don't understand.
Men have learned to cry, as they've come to understand a major reason why women outlive them: women's ability to let pent-up rage, disappointment, pain and grief mist from their eyes in the form of healing tears. With the exception of a few rappers, their would-be emulators and some out-and-out crazies, most men at least recognize when they've done something stupid to a woman, and more than a handful are willing to apologize and do it right next time.
Men have learned to nurture. One is pleased to see the number of men tenderly wiping little kid noses in the park or dandling their progeny on their knees. They've taken to the kitchen, they've learned how to use the vacuum, they've become experts at teaching toilet training shoelace tying and two-wheeler riding.
The task for women who would be equal has been not losing their femininity to feminism. A woman should be able to stay at home and raise children, if she wants to. And she should be able to walk among her fellow CEOs without having to dress like them, become cutthroat, or vie with them over who can drink harder or tell the dirtiest jokes. It should never be a woman's goal to become a man to prove what a capable woman she is. Women are wired differently. That extra X chromosome does more than just give women the ability to produce children or suffer through their monthlies. A world of compassion, intelligence, and wisdom not superior to, but different from the makeup of men lies in that extra X. It makes a great difference in how woman perceives, copes, and overcomes in life. That difference in the home means everyone can prosper. That difference in the world means there is still hope for peace to guide this planet.
As the whole world slides into the trough of economic disaster, men clutching their pink slips are contemplating blowing their brains out. Women are standing strong, because that is what women do. Women scour through their pantries and they put together a meal of rice and catsup, if that's all there is. Women cut down the legs of Jimmy's jeans and give them to Billy, they get busy with their best friend, duct tape, on those leaky pipes behind the sink, and women go on, not infrequently with a little smile of pride at what they did. Could June Lockhart do that? Could Jane Wyman? They could and probably did, but society never gave them the chance to show that side on TV. What a show that would have been!
Learn more about this author, Sandra Lowen.
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No
Unless and until women are granted equality in all facets of their existence, feminism is anything but outdated. Women still garner less pay than men in the same positions. Women still find themselves discriminated against because of their gender. Even if equality is unavailable for several other reasons in addition to gender, as long as gender is a cause, feminism too will remain a cause.
Women are an invaluable component in the workings of the world, and they will likely always have to fight to gain every inch in their pursuit of equality. Chauvinism certainly hasn't become an outdated concept, as long as that remains the case we can be assured that there will be people who rally against it.
Females are seen as unlikely candidates for many things, by many people, for many reasons. Not only are they subjected to additional scrutiny because they are perceived as less capable physically, they are also expected to be more emotional, more docile, and ultimately more needy than men. Anyone who has had the benefit of being influenced by a strong woman knows that while in some situations much of this might prove to be accurate, these very qualities have a way of counterbalancing the insensitive, overbearing, and otherwise domineering qualities exhibited by many of their male counterparts.
I know that as a man I would react adversely to being overlooked for a position because I am a man. I would be equally as disappointed if i were underpaid for a position because of the pitfalls associated with the male gender. I can see no reason why women should suffer that fate simply because they are made differently than men. Were it not for the differences between us and them we would be unaware of many of the facets of the human condition that are so adequately represented by each gender respectively.
Women are in fact every bit as capable of getting things done as men are, even if they are reduced to soliciting the aid of others in order to complete the task. Men are equally as dependent upon women in regard to their accomplishments, hence the phrase "behind every good man, is a good woman". It is unfortunate that women are so often put in a position to take on tasks to prove themselves, though I admire their determination in that regard. If we as a society, as a species, were capable of embracing the characteristics that are inherent to the fairer sex, we wouldn't face the level of opposition that confronts a male dominated society.
In virtually every facet of history the patriarchal influence can be witnessed. Orthodox religion has all but done away with the feminine aspects of divinity, and relegated the concept of a goddess into obscurity. It can be asserted that even the angels are effected by this reality, as I have read more than once that some angelic names have been changed to reflect a male derivative, simply because it's easier for a patriarchal society to accept that God's messengers are masculine.
Even if we were able to overcome the implications of gender discrimination within the confines of the American public, there would still be countless other regions of the globe that were guilty of discriminating against women simply because they aren't men. However you twist it, there is still a lot for feminists to accomplish. The fact that we had a woman as a contender for the Democratic Nomination is indicative of the fact that women are still gaining ground, due largely in part to the original push of the feminist movement. The fact that Hillary Clinton did not win the nomination can partially be attributed to the reality that at least a portion of the people of the United States are still incapable of accepting the concept of equality in certain situations, politics being just one example of many.
Whatever the case, the myth that women are unsuitable to lead is ridiculous. The opinion that women are unsuitable to preach is likewise absurd. The theory that women are somehow lesser beings, be it through the assertion that they are the originators of sin, or that they are merely less capable in any sense of the term is symptomatic of an age old problem that still rears it's ugly head, even in this modern era of enlightenment. All of the evidence points to a continued need for advocates in regard to a woman's place in the grand scheme of things. It is probably safe to assume that when it's time to pick those advocates and champions, they will undoubtedly be representative of the strength and determination associated with the definitive feminist mindset.
Learn more about this author, Xavier Grey.
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