Feminism: the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Look around you; in the news, magazines, music and all over social media, feminism has taken over the world as we know it. This is the era that women refuse to sit back idly and watch inequality continue to be present in our society. The recent election has caused an uproar in the community of women. Just last week, millions of women marched for their rights, as well as the rights of their children, grandchildren, and all future women. Let me say this, we have come so far! With that being said, there are always improvements that can be made. It is 2017, times have changed, people have changed, and views have changed.
Over Christmas break, I made an effort to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. When I sat down and talked with them I realized how much our views differ. Both of my grandparents are in their late eighties/nineties. When they were my age, my grandpa was working and my grandmother was already married to her first husband. She helped on the farm, and always had dinner ready when her husband got home from work. While I was with my mom, she came across a page from an old home economics book. I showed the page to my grandma and she did not even have the slightest look of shock on her face. Let me just say this about the page in the book I viewed, that sh** would not fly today.
Let me remind you, this is a page from a home economics book that girls were learning in school in the 1950’s. Let’s just go over a few points that this page talks about. After a woman slaves away all day watching their children and cleaning the house, she is expected to go over her list of nine things she must do prior to her husband’s arrival. The point that really gets to me, is the paragraph that says “prepare yourself.” After taking care of the house all day, you are expected to take 15 minutes to “rest yourself so you will be refreshed when he arrives.” Oh and after that, don’t forget to “touch up your makeup, and put a ribbon in your hair.”
Next, I would like to point out how important it is (according to the article) to make your husband comfortable. After he had such a terribly long day make sure you “have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom.” Not only should you prepare a chair for him to sit in after his long day, you should “have a cool warm drink ready for him and arrange his pillows and offer to take of his shoes.” As if taking care of the house or going to your own job was not hard enough, you need to take hours to prepare for the arrival of your husband. I am all about being kind to your significant other, but do you do it at the expense of your own happiness?
So I will say this again, that shi** would not fly today. Today woman are working full time jobs, going to college, and doing just as much as a man. I believe that is why so many women feel so strongly about feminism. If females are working just as hard as men, shouldn’t they be treated equally in all aspects? Should we have to come home from our long days and “put a bow in our hair” and “make sure our man is comfortable?” As I sat down to write this I couldn’t help but think, have we really progressed that much?