The questions of the day involve women's rights. Where are we with women's rights?
I'm taking a break from trivia today. The answer to yesterday's Who Am I was Arabella Mansfield. I had a lot of fun doing the Who Am I questions that involved women in history. I learned a ton too. Sure when we were in school we all learned of Susan B. Anthony, Betsy Ross, Florence Nightingale but did we learn of some other women groundbreakers? Did we really know of the following:
The first woman doctor in the United States, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
The first woman attorney in the United States, Arabella Mansfield.
The first African-American to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel.
A female stagecoach robber, Pearl Hart.
The first woman to run for president in the United States , Victoria Claflin Woodhull.
Crystal Lee Sutton (Jordon) the real life Norma Rae.
In researching the answer to yesterday's question Pat came up with some interesting information. Myra Bradwell who passed the Illinois bar exam in 1869 is sometimes credited with being the first woman lawyer, however, she was admitted to the bar later than Mansfield. Bradwell was not allowed to practice law due to gender until 1892. When Bradwell appealed to the Supreme Court that she be allowed to practice, Associate Justice Joseph P. Bradley stated in his decision to decline:
"The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many occupations of civil life. The paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfill the noble and benign office of wife and mother. This is the law of the Creator."
Have women ever come a long way but society has so much further to go. The glass ceiling still resides in some occupations. There are still some religions that teach men are supreme and women are subservient. While I try to enlighten them, I do have some men friends that still believe a woman should be at home and not in the work force.
Are they teaching women's history in high schools now? Or is it only taught as an elective in college? I honestly don't know but I do think both genders should be made aware of women in history that fought for the equality of the sexes.
My granddad was bedridden due to a back injury. My grandmother had no choice but to go out into the work force. That was at a time when society taught you that a man had to support his family to be a real man and a woman had to raise her family to be considered a real woman. Granddad died an early death in part due to the depression of not being able to live up to societies expectations of men. My grandmother cooked for the airlines. Fighting tooth and nail the right for a woman to have that job. I'm all for equality that would have extended my grandfather's life and made my grandmother's life easier.
Where do you think women's rights are now? What do you see in the future? Do you still see discrimination in your life right now? Is there still a long way to go? Do you see the sexes being completely equal in thought as well as reality before your life ends?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I have no idea if women's history is being taught in today's high schools, but I strongly suspect only as much as what we learned and you cited.
What a sad story about your grandparents. As frustrated as I get with some of my ms projects, a recent one had some good concepts, even if he did bury them. Basically, we all have the right (and usually ability) to be who we really want to be, if we make the right choices and IF We Ignore Society's Dictates and What Other People Expect. All of which requirse courage and determination, of course, and involves changing some of society's perceptions.
That said, I think women have gained a lot of rights, but still have a ways to go and society has a long way to go. Women are now accepted as physicians, surgeons, attorneys, scientists, astronauts. However, let's go down to the basics. Himself and I both own our home, two cars and the RV. His name is first on all of these, as well as the checking account. As recently as a few years ago, I went to using a hyphonated name, because two different names on a checking account or home loan wasn't "acceptable" in some cases. We contribute equally to the household income, I handle all the money, pay all the bills, handle any financial questions or problems. However, if there's a question on a credit card, the cell phone bill, whatever, we have to go through the exercise of having him tell the company it's okay to talk to me, because his name is "primary" on the account, then we go through the rigamarole of getting my name added as an "acceptable alternate to discuss issues," even with both names on the account. The only way I got a credit report set up in my own name was to have credit cards before I was married and it's an ongoing issue to get our timely payments of debt in both our names included on my credit report. Why is this important? Because if anything happens to Himself (God forbid) I'd have no credit, no ability to make changes to any of our accounts, no ability to handle a lot of financial issues.
Example: When my first husband died, because the house was in his name first, the bank sent a letter threatening to call the loan, because he was no longer alive to make the payments! We'd gotten the mortgage based on my credit report as a single woman, because his ex-wife had so thoroughly messed up his and my report proved I could afford the house alone. I eventually won that battle, but when I tried to sell the house three years after he died, they said they couldn't let me do that without talking to him. (There is a funny story there in restrospect, but not at the time)
It's still assumed by many that my business is a hobby and his is a valid business concern. Women are still making less money than men for doing the same jobs. Women with children are still "questionable," because they might miss work if the child is sick or has a problem at school. And, living in the Baptist south, you don't even want to get me started on submission and surrender to husbands!
Look at the reports and stats -- even if both husband and wife work outside the home and are professionals, the woman most often still fixes the meals, cleans the house, does the laundry, buys the groceries, takes care of child issues, organizes the social schedule, negotiates family issues for both sides of the family and is generally held responsible for the home running well and everyone being happy.
I'm encouraged that more women are entering previously "closed" professions. However, I don't think we've got equality and, guite frankly, I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, although I hope I'm wrong.
Sorry for the vent - sore subject some days (and not because of my own situation - Himself is wonderful - but because of what I see and hear). And I should qualify that too often we women are the first to maintain the inequality of the sterotypical images of home and hearth.
Some very good questions there, Bill. And hard ones to answer. I had plenty of experience years ago with being the only woman in a department of men. It was never a bad experience for me. Oh, yes, there was the occasional incident that today would be considered harrassment, but in those days, we just shrugged such things off if they were not dangerous or demeaning. Usually they were just silly. Other than a few of those, which were personal and not work-related, I was always treated with respect, earned as much money as the men doing the same job, and generally found the men to be good and on occasion helpful co-workers. Over the years, things have changed in my old field, and while I have no numbers, I would guess that the sexes are now evenly divided in job opportunities.
So my personal experience answer would be downright optimistic. OTOH, I'm hearing from a lot of (mostly young) women in the FOSS (Free Open Source Software) community that discrimination against and poor treatment of women in the community is rampant. One woman wrote that she was hired for a high-tech job, and from all the comments about how unusual a hire she was, she got the feeling she was regarded somewhat like a talking dog. She was also offended by the perception that she would bring something "womanly" to the company. Something on the order of compassion... or maybe it was cookies, I don't remember exactly what she said. All she intended was to do her job and do it well.
I do think that young women today are often a little hypersensitive to perceived sexism. Lighthearted stuff that we oldsters would probably just laugh off gets them downright riled. But in that particular tech group, it has taken a toll, judging by the very low numbers of women working in the field, and the general perception by those who are that they are held in lower regard than men.
So I certainly think we've made great strides, but we also have a long way to go. I think things will gradually improve. I don't see discrimination in my life, but since I'm out of the workforce, I'm sure there are things I'm not seeing. Do I see the sexes being completely equal in my lifetime? Probably not.
Hi DR
Good vent. I loved yours and Pat's posts. I am constantly learning from both of you and others here.
I agree we all have the right to be who we want to be. But it takes a stronb person to overcome society's expectations.
That is sad the bank still particpates in discriminatory practices. Not to mention the credit card companies. As someone that used to advise clients going through divorce it is extremely important that a woman (or a man for that matter) keeps a separate identity.
What a tragic story after you lost your first husband.
When I get married my wife won't be doing all those chores by herself, I guarantee it!
I don't we will true equality for either races or sexes in my lifetime either. Fully equality truly comes only when there is not longer a need to talk about it.
And I agree with that sometimes women are there own worse enemy when it comes to equality.
Bill
Hi Pat
Good post!
I always thought that you had the strength and personality to be the only woman at a place of work.
I am hearing from my friends the same thing that you are hearing about the software community.
How demeaning for that woman!
I also see improvement in the interaction and the equality among the sexes. But I still hear and see sexist comments in real life and on TV (Mike I the first week of this season's Top Chef, for example). Those need to go away.
Like you I don't foresee true equality between the sexes in my lifetime.
Bill
I feel like I am pretty equal. My husband makes more than I do, but has never made me feel bad about it. He values my contribution to the household and the kids.
You know who makes me feel bad about myself and my choices? Other women! The stay at home moms think I'm terrible for working part of the year and letting my kids go to after school care. The working moms assume I'm a selfish pig who stays home popping bon bons and despising them. Society wants me to be a perfect mother and also use my education.
I have never felt that my current job was helped or hindered by my sex. I am (was, until I quit) the highest paid person in my job category, male or female, because I did the best job. No one ever implied that it was wrong for a woman to make more than a man.
Now if I can just get the mommies off my case! I just want to be happy, make some money, be a good wife and mom and did I mention being happy?
Hi Mary
It is great to see you chime in here!
Our occupation has come a long way. I started out at a national accounting firm. They had to hire women because they had federal contracts but they wouldn't send them to clients.
It is true that sometimes women are the worst enemies of other women, just like sometimes men are the worst enemies of other men.
You quit Block?
And I think you have reached your goal because I see you as one of the best in your career, a great mom, wife, and friend!
Bill
Mary, can't help but agree we're our own worst enemies, in terms of women's expectations of other women, particularly when it comes to what I think they call the "Mommy Track." We're back to being what we desire to be and that's so difficult when society is determined to tell us what we "should" be.
Post a Comment