A Woman's Nation? Part One

Get comfortable, because I believe this is only the first posting in a series to comment on "The Shriver Report - A Woman's Nation." At this point in time I have listened to some of the NBC report and have read the Preface, Executive Summary and Epilogue of the report itself (www.awomansnation.com). I will read the full report tonight. So far I have learned that a woman's life is pretty hectic and often under-rewarded for the work we do. Really?

"When we look back over the 20th century and try to understand what's happened to workers and their families and the challenges they now face, the movement of women out of the home and into paid employment stands out as a unique and powerful transformation." (excerpt from the Preface)

This is not breaking news. I am a feminist and believe I have been since the late sixties. I am a feminist, not because my mother provided me with a role model or encouragement to step out of the box. I am a feminist because my father encouraged me and my brothers "let" me.

I was a feminist when the majority of people believed that I hated men or wanted to be a man. That was never true. I love men but just don't think they "get it". As for a being a man? No, I wanted the same opportunities that the men had.

We hated being told what do to by men. It wasn't that we minded taking care of the home and children; we just wanted to have the option to do something else too. "Too", that's the operative word. We should have dropped that word from our treatise. Because what happened was this: the men said fine, do something else "too", but make sure the kids are still cared for, the house is clean and dinner is still ready when I get home from work. And, we did. Well, some of us did.

We thought we had to prove that we could do a man's job and found that to do that we had to stop doing some of the "women's work" like childbearing. And then if we did forgo childbearing, we were frowned upon; regardless of the reason.

I actually got into a debate with a man about twenty years ago who complained that the price of real estate was a result of birth control. From a logic point of view, the theory "worked". The birth control pill allowed women to delay child birth. By delaying child birth, women entered the work force and were able to focus on upward mobility, thereby increasing their salaries. Married and with a two income household, there was more disposable income to purchase a home. Because of the ability to "get what they want", it drove the prices of real estate up in a competitive market. So you see, it is in fact the "woman's nation" that tanked the market, not the men who run Wall Street. Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssseeeeee!!!

But that is how it goes. Blame the victim. I do not say that from a position of feeling disenfranchised. I say that because the political and social policies in this country are stuck in the past; a past that resembles "Father Knows Best" and not the reality of "Roseann".

Even in the current battle for health care reform, women are still feeling the pinch of discrimination: we pay more for health care insurance because of this "pre-existing condition" we have called a reproductive system. We are "sick and tired" because we work full time, take care of kids, aging parents and the home; often in a single status.

If our society would walk the walk of equality and equity and create an enviroment of inclusiveness, this would cease to be a "woman's issue". It is a people issue.

Stayed tuned. . .