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Is feminism outdated?

I think to a large extent, the feminist goals of equality for American born women have largely been achieved in the United States. However, not all populations in United States embrace the same values that are conducive to living equally amongst men. One thing that worries me terribly, is the large population of undocumented women, who are financially oppressed, and are caught up in a vicious cycle of oppressing themselves by having children with no father, with no education, and at such an early age.

I was born in 1962, and come from a middle class background, where the majority of women planned on getting married a few years after graduating from high school, having a couple of children, and perhaps working part time, or having a "sideline" career, while the man was expected to be the main financial provider. I was married for over a decade to a school teacher, who also shared these values, and didn't really want me to have to plan out a whole career for myself. Unfortunately, after I divorced, the whole concept of "man as provider" is so deeply engrained in my value system, I have always found it difficult to really think "outside the box", and see myself as the main financial provider for myself.

In my opinion, the traditional family values of marriage, and children born in wedlock go hand in hand with women's equality. Tougher child support laws in the last few decades have done more for women's economic stability than is given credit for. It is a well noted fact, that single unmarried women are more likely to live at or under the poverty level, especially if they are uneducated. With more and more women working and competing in the same rapidly globalizing job markets as men, along with astronomical mortgages and expensive childcare, women and their husbands are opting to have less children at a much later age than ever before. Having a first child when you're over 30 instead of in your 20's is now the norm, and many couples are having babies at 35 and older.

Family planning is I think the keystone to the next wave of "feminism" that might catch on as a trend amongst these poor undocumented women who want to empower themselves. In California, there is a 50% drop out rate for Hispanic high schoolers, and a high drop out rate for other ethnicities as well. This is where young women often start thinking about having a baby, instead of developing themselves. I believe that having a wide variety of after school Junior High and High School technology programs from web design, and programming to basic engineering and auto repair will help many young people who don't know what they are going to do after they graduate, find a "niche" for themselves. This will help young people embrace all the opportunities that already await them, if they can get themselves to that level of competence.

Learn more about this author, Titania Jones.
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