Here's my attempt at an intellectual shout-out... been learning about feminism and a lot of philosophy lately, so bear with my subject of choice. So basically women have been oppressed. To a certain extent that is true. But some parties are using that as an excuse to justify laziness. Like those who subscribe to Marxist Feminism. They were arguing that housewives should be paid wages by the government. Opposing the ideas by liberal feminists or other feminists for that matter, who urge women to enter the workforce in order to contribute to the economy, Marxist Feminist argue that women don't have to enter the workforce, instead they can remain in the household but wages are to be paid. To me, that is just a way for them to exonerate themselves from actually going out to work, instead insist on getting paid for staying at home. I am not in any way discounting the work of a housewife. I agree that it is not an easy job, but being a housewife is something that you should do willingly. Raising children in a household that has been subjected to monthly wages by the government is absolutely steering the idea of a family unit towards a money-oriented one; when I believe that households should be built upon love and trust. What message are we sending to our kids if moms are paid to bring them up? This argument is not in anyway mutually exclusive, but the underlying doubt will always be there.
Radical Feminism, on the other hand, is something that is so ridiculous I don't even know where to start. Men are essentially the enemy to Radical Feminists. They encourage homosexual behaviour and somehow totally reject the role of males.
To me, feminism is about the ability to choose. They are not housewives because they're forced to become one and have no choice of other options. Instead they are housewives because they want to be housewives. Back then, women rarely had the opportunity to say much about their lives. Men assumed that they were tailor-made for the household and everybody subscribed to this idea. Perhaps out of fear, mostly. Men are stronger, I am not disputing that. But the urge to always remain strong and in power has driven them to oppress women thus preventing them from exploring their possibilities. This is in someways, a classic case of fearing what pandora's box might release. Perhaps it was a fear that if they were to allow women to flourish in fields outside the household, women might outshine them. Therefore, what better way to go about it, than to convince women that the best place for them is at home. To me this fear forms the basis of the patriarchy system. Those in power naturally want to remain in power, and anything that may pose a threat to their reign will be eliminated, or failing that, oppressed.
Women have come a long way since the days of patriarchy. Choices are abundant and life has improved. As a woman of today, I am able to freely choose whether I want to pilot a plane or be a stay-at-home mom. This next line may make me an enemy of certain feminist groups, but I'll say it anyway: At the end of the day, either I'm a minister, or a lawyer or an astronaut, I am a woman who dreams of building a family and taking my place in the household as a loving wife and mother. Whether or not I'll be able to do a good job taking on those roles is not the question. Feminism sometimes rejects this, maintaining that women are men's equal, or better than men, which means that confining women to the household is an absolute no-no. They have to understand that at the end of the day, it is all a matter of choice.
Radical Feminism, on the other hand, is something that is so ridiculous I don't even know where to start. Men are essentially the enemy to Radical Feminists. They encourage homosexual behaviour and somehow totally reject the role of males.
To me, feminism is about the ability to choose. They are not housewives because they're forced to become one and have no choice of other options. Instead they are housewives because they want to be housewives. Back then, women rarely had the opportunity to say much about their lives. Men assumed that they were tailor-made for the household and everybody subscribed to this idea. Perhaps out of fear, mostly. Men are stronger, I am not disputing that. But the urge to always remain strong and in power has driven them to oppress women thus preventing them from exploring their possibilities. This is in someways, a classic case of fearing what pandora's box might release. Perhaps it was a fear that if they were to allow women to flourish in fields outside the household, women might outshine them. Therefore, what better way to go about it, than to convince women that the best place for them is at home. To me this fear forms the basis of the patriarchy system. Those in power naturally want to remain in power, and anything that may pose a threat to their reign will be eliminated, or failing that, oppressed.
Women have come a long way since the days of patriarchy. Choices are abundant and life has improved. As a woman of today, I am able to freely choose whether I want to pilot a plane or be a stay-at-home mom. This next line may make me an enemy of certain feminist groups, but I'll say it anyway: At the end of the day, either I'm a minister, or a lawyer or an astronaut, I am a woman who dreams of building a family and taking my place in the household as a loving wife and mother. Whether or not I'll be able to do a good job taking on those roles is not the question. Feminism sometimes rejects this, maintaining that women are men's equal, or better than men, which means that confining women to the household is an absolute no-no. They have to understand that at the end of the day, it is all a matter of choice.
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