In our politically correct (or incorrect) era, we are faced with modern issues that challenge our upbringing as well as socially accepted behavior. Today’s focus is on equality. No, I am not talking about tolerating those dirty hippies who live across the hall from you. Today, I talk about the equality – or inequality – of women in relation to men.
I know I have already lost a few readers right now – “oh no, not another feminist talk!” Well yes, this is another feminist talk because I have brought the subject up. It is almost ironic that if a woman even brings the subject up, already she is labeled a feminist.
You know what else is funny? That a man has to go to extreme measures to prove he is crazy, like foam at the mouth or write a word a thousand times on his bedroom wall. Yet all a woman has to do to be crazy is smear her lipstick somewhere other than her lips. But I digress.
Women have had a long history of at least 5,000 years of being thought of as the weaker sex. There is proof, however, that before the patriarchal systems were implemented, women actually held power over civilizations and communities. They were queens, priestesses and goddesses.
We as women have an even longer history of being thought of as evil. One example is the Babylonian myth of Tiamat, the horrendous female deity who had to be killed by Marduk, the male god, before order was restored. Tiamat can arguably be an archetype of the “darker” side of the female entity.
There are also other myths which involve the temptress side of women, whose sexual power have left men feeling not only fearful of them, but also demoting it to evil. Myths such as these which are passed from generation to generation contribute to society’s opinion of females overall. Maybe we are evil – I am sure some heartbroken men can attest to that.
Ancient myths aside, the here and now challenges women to do the unexpected. At one time it was expected for women to stay at home, have the children, raise the children and give her husband backing and support. But thanks to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, women were given the chance to be taken seriously among their male counterparts.
The double standard between the sexes has diminished, although I would argue there is still much to be done. A good example of this is that a promiscuous woman is seen with much more moral flaw and more heckling than a promiscuous man.
Now, what is the unexpected? Is it pushing aside the aspirations for a family, pushing aside romantic desires, or actually shutting up about not being treated equally and just doing what you want to do? I am not saying to lie down and let them walk all over you, but I have also noticed over the years of being a conscientious female, that much of the moaning and bickering from women over the issue of equality has yielded not many results.
Women surely are a lot better off than 5,000 years ago, but then I have the realization that society’s happy ending for women is to find a man and have a family. Sure, they can have a career, but they can’t do it without a man.
There is a popular saying from the 1970s started by feminists: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” What, then, can be done to truly let this issue be properly dealt with?
Look at the civil rights movement. They protested things. They were also organized, and they had a leader who they could rely on. However, most women are not brass enough to form and organize with the same unified goals as the Republican Party. We are still under the illusion that we are being treated equally.
To the woman whose true calling is to be a stay-at-home mother, then let her. However, to the woman who goes to college, wants to have a career and social status among peers, there is a real challenge to her. Work all of that time through the education system just to have a low-level job and a family? Why bother if you “give up the good fight,” so to say?
People might believe that I am telling women not to find a man and start a family. This is not what I am saying. I am saying that women really don’t need men to be happy.
The legacy of the single mother who chooses to have her children without the help of a man, or the woman who does not care if she does not “settle down” are the challenges in this day and age. In all honesty, I see a future where single mothers would prosper if they were given the right respect from their male counterparts.
What, then, can we wicked, pitied, and promiscuous women do with ourselves? A fish rides a bicycle quite badly. Until women stand united to destroy all the incorrect assumptions, myths, expectations, and opinions of them, we will still be running around, trying to prove ourselves to men, trying to do the unexpected, and end up with frustrated dreams at home with the kids.