The Emancipated Woman?

My friend and colleague, #englishrosiee and I ended up spending an evening last week watching a new release called “The Suffragete”. The movie is about the women rights movement in Britain and in particular about the fight to grant women the right to vote. You should feel empowered as a woman after having watched this movie, right? After all the fight has been won and we’re equal… But are we really?

I remember when back in high school I used to have militant feminist views. I thought that women are not only equal but better than men and I thought that being strong means to hide that you have any feelings. I was young and cocky and I definitely grew wiser but my ideas came from somewhere.

They were quite strongly related to the fact that the world still sees women as creatures who have to choose between two bags. Bag number one has inside family, feelings, household chores and bag number two career, ideals and emotional desert. The society isn’t particularly helpful with the integration of these two bags. It is the mother after all who’ll take maternity leave as paternity leave is mostly a joke. Imagine how much easier a woman’s life would be if instead of taking six months off work she would take three and the other three would be taken by a partner. Only that no one takes such ideas seriously.

An emancipated woman has to do it all. She doesn’t want to say no to career but she wants a family too. So she performs two full-time jobs instead of one and her frustration grows. Partners are being more helpful these days at home but look around – who’s rushing to pick up children from crèche if they’re sick, who works from home if the children can’t attend kindergarden?

Let’s consider more trivial examples of inequality. Try to wear something nice you’ll be cat called, try not to respond you’ll be called names. Look at your earnings and look at these of similarly educated men around you. Try to have a business orientated or technical career. Attempt at being middle management (so much harder as a woman) and then try to reach for the highest stool (nearly impossible). Stop shaving your armpits and legs. Swear in public. Scratch your crotch when having a conversation. Have sex with numerous people and boast about it. Do all that and then seeing the reactions still say that we’re really equal. And please also remember that it’s only the Western world.

In India female fetuses are often being aborted as female offsprings are not desirable. Girls in some African countries are being mutilated in a crime called female circumsticion. In some Muslim countries women are not allowed to do anything without the consent of their male guardian. Is all that not a proof that we just leave in a little bubble and the road to proper worldwide equality is still long and rocky?

Share your thoughts Dear Rinsers.