In the first piece I read today, If Men Could Menstruate, Gloria Steinem talked about the theory of penis envy. She focused on the concept of menstruation and the reaction to this phenomenon if men were the ones who experienced this phenomenon. Her opinion was that if men were the ones in place of women, they would find a way to embrace menstruation and make it an enviable quality instead of a detestable one. "Menopause would be celebrated as a positive event, the symbol that men had accumulated enough years of cynical wisdom to need no more". Steinem also says that men would find a way to normalize the occurrence, or make it seem cool, and one man might say to another, "Yeah, man, I'm on the rag". The author goes on to talk about how periods make women behave most like men during that one week of the month. She then asks, if this is the case, why are women expected to be more rational and less emotional during the other three weeks? Why is this the norm for males but a surprising turn of character for females?
I then read Why I Want a Wife by Judy Syfers, in which the author described her views on the duties and responsibilities of a wife. Her piece basically listed every chore imaginable, and then a few more. Syfers, a housewife herself, provided an interesting viewpoint, as she was, in essence, reflecting on her own role within the household. One aspect of the piece I found particularly interesting was Syfers' use of the word wife. Wife could almost be substituted out and replaced by RobotModel 6000, and the meaning and message of the piece would still be intact. There was no intimacy with the word wife, no feeling. It was just wife this and wife that, for example when talking about wives from the viewpoint of men, the author says, "If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another." In this quote it is obvious that there is no personal element in marriage, and the speaker's reference to other wives is similar to an upgrade from the iPhone 3 to the new iPhone 4. My main issue with the piece is that it makes it seem as though men have unlimited needs and demands. Not all men want to view their wives as objects, and not all men want their wives to "type their papers after the men have written them". Also, not all women in 1971 would accept this kind of cold and lifeless treatment. I think the piece is summed up well when the author says, "My God, who wouldn't want a wife?". This statement perfectly embodies the idea that wives are desirable because of all they can do for a man, what they can give. This implies, however, that wives are easy to obtain. If a man wants a wife, he can have one, he can go out and get one. There is no choice on the female's side, it is just another manly desire that shall be fulfilled. This piece brings up a lot of controversy, but it is a very interesting view on the role of women in the household and the role of the wife through the eyes of her husband.
Friday, 10 February 2012
Faludi
The third piece I read today was Blame It on Feminism by Susan Faludi. This piece talked about what it meant to be a woman in America in the 20th century. The piece also gave a great definition of feminism, which I feel strengthened the argument of the piece and set the stage for a great conclusion. Feminism is often a word that is thrown around a lot, given extreme meanings, and sometimes even has a negative connotation. I liked how clearly Fauldi defined feminism when she stated, "Feminism asks the world to recognize at long last that women aren't decorative ornaments, worthy vessels, members of a "special interest group". They are half (in fact, now more than half) of the national population, and just as deserving of rights and opportunities, just as capable of participating in the world's events, as the other half". I think this quote clearly defines the goal of feminism and the overarching goal of females around the world: equality, nothing more, nothing less. Feminism has a very basic agenda, and I realized that while reading this piece. The piece also touched upon the role of women in popular culture, specifically in the workplace and at home. Women, for the first time in history, are beginning to make a move in the labor force, becoming dominant in certain fields of middle class labor. "Female" professions such as nursing and cuisine are no longer containing females as they are trying to break the mold and advance their careers as well as themselves. Yet the piece asks, "If the status of women has never been higher, why is their emotional state so low?". I thought this was an intriguing question and it made me wonder whether or not women liked their roles in society. Today, we are seeing an increasing amount of women in jobs that require physical labor and these women can often struggle to balance their family lives with the importance and emphasis they are placing on their careers. Can women do both? Can they be respected in a career as well as be a mom and wife? I believe the answer is yes, but only with the help of men. Without the support of men, it is impossible. I also wonder whether or not the man's ego will hold him back. Men are more reluctant to enter into previously deemed "female professions" than females are to enter into the man's domain. I believe if men do not take responsibility and help women in the workplace as well as the household, women will never truly achieve equality.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
The Power of Wild Geese
Today in class I read a poem by Mary Oliver entitled, "Wild Geese". This poem made me think about the traditional roles of women in society, and how those expectations have come to change over time. In the beginning of her work, Oliver points out that "you do not have to be good", and I believe this message is meant to empower women. The author believes that women should not have prescribed duties, and I believe wild geese function as a symbol of males in society. Males are free, they travel, they can fly, they can be loud and obnoxious. Women, however, are forced to experience the world through their imagination, as shown by the author, "whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination". I believe that Oliver is contrasting the man's freedom and his ability to fly around the world to the woman's dependence on imagination in order to truly experience life.
The poem is also interesting in the way it describes the world. It goes through scenes from nature, as if to say while women and men are living their lives, life goes on. I think this is more of a message to society and a contrast to the egocentrism we, as a society, are used to. How can one not be egocentric? After all, you view your entire life from one pair of eyes. It is difficult to adapt to another viewpoint and think about waterfalls flowing in other parts of the world (nature and life going on) while you are concerned with your own business and day to day life. While there were many similarities between this poem and "Power" by Adrienne Rich, I thought "Power" had a different message on the passage of time. In Adrienne Rich's work, she focuses on the preservation of time, evident through the conservation of the hundred year old bottle of tonic found in the earth. She also focuses on the memory of Marie Curie and her progress in science, saying that her perseverance and stubbornness gave her the power and ability to make great improvements in the field of science.
The poem is also interesting in the way it describes the world. It goes through scenes from nature, as if to say while women and men are living their lives, life goes on. I think this is more of a message to society and a contrast to the egocentrism we, as a society, are used to. How can one not be egocentric? After all, you view your entire life from one pair of eyes. It is difficult to adapt to another viewpoint and think about waterfalls flowing in other parts of the world (nature and life going on) while you are concerned with your own business and day to day life. While there were many similarities between this poem and "Power" by Adrienne Rich, I thought "Power" had a different message on the passage of time. In Adrienne Rich's work, she focuses on the preservation of time, evident through the conservation of the hundred year old bottle of tonic found in the earth. She also focuses on the memory of Marie Curie and her progress in science, saying that her perseverance and stubbornness gave her the power and ability to make great improvements in the field of science.
Friday, 27 January 2012
Women in the Workplace
The End of Men, written by Hanna Rosin discusses the possibility that modern, postindustrial society may be better suited to women than men. I believe there are many flaws in Rosin's arguments, and while it brings up good points for discussion, it is controversial at the least. The main issue I see with her work is her influence on the stereotypes of women and how these judgments tend to hinder females, yet later on in the piece she stereotypes males as being more suited for physical labor and jobs that require strength. She goes on to argue that critical thinking and communication are skills more evident in women. If the author claims that stereotyping is a problem, why does she stereotype? Rosin then generalizes about the leadership of men, saying they are controlling, and states that women are more moralistic leaders.
I found this article interesting, and it sparked a passionate and intriguing debate in my english class. I discovered my true opinion on the end of man (and the rise of the female) during this discussion: I believe that it not the end of man. Females are simply branching out into previously male dominated areas, industries that were stereotypically male, for example physical labor and positions of leadership/CEO positions in corporations. Female domination tends to be in the working class, as pointed out in The End of Men. However, the gender gap comes from the fact that men are not reciprocally branching out into fields previously dominated by females such as nursing. Men are hesitant to make the leap into "women's" professions, while women are eager to fill the shoes of men in their stereotypical jobs. Currently there are more female farmers in the world than there are male farmers, and many professions are recently seeing a more equal number of female and male employees.
I think it is important for men to adapt, to be able to pursue any career regardless of stereotypes. I also read a response to The End of Men, titled, It's Not the End of Men. In this piece, Anne Friedman poses a question which I believe perfectly depicts the situation of males in the workplace. The question reads: "Are American men aggressive brutes who need to make a living on their physical strength? Or are they omega males, cowed by high-achieving women?"A point is made that for every two males receiving a Bachelors Degree, three women are doing the same, and I believe the difference in employment and the rise of females is attributed to differences like this in the education system. We must ask ourselves, however, can males adapt to a changing economy, marketplace, and workplace; will they rely on aggressive behavior and try and make a living on physical strength, or will they cast aside stereotypes in order to better themselves in the long-run?
I found this article interesting, and it sparked a passionate and intriguing debate in my english class. I discovered my true opinion on the end of man (and the rise of the female) during this discussion: I believe that it not the end of man. Females are simply branching out into previously male dominated areas, industries that were stereotypically male, for example physical labor and positions of leadership/CEO positions in corporations. Female domination tends to be in the working class, as pointed out in The End of Men. However, the gender gap comes from the fact that men are not reciprocally branching out into fields previously dominated by females such as nursing. Men are hesitant to make the leap into "women's" professions, while women are eager to fill the shoes of men in their stereotypical jobs. Currently there are more female farmers in the world than there are male farmers, and many professions are recently seeing a more equal number of female and male employees.
I think it is important for men to adapt, to be able to pursue any career regardless of stereotypes. I also read a response to The End of Men, titled, It's Not the End of Men. In this piece, Anne Friedman poses a question which I believe perfectly depicts the situation of males in the workplace. The question reads: "Are American men aggressive brutes who need to make a living on their physical strength? Or are they omega males, cowed by high-achieving women?"A point is made that for every two males receiving a Bachelors Degree, three women are doing the same, and I believe the difference in employment and the rise of females is attributed to differences like this in the education system. We must ask ourselves, however, can males adapt to a changing economy, marketplace, and workplace; will they rely on aggressive behavior and try and make a living on physical strength, or will they cast aside stereotypes in order to better themselves in the long-run?
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