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Anti feminist women

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  • 10-03-2009 7:09pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭


    Came across the following blog entry which sums up perfectly my feelings on women under 60 (or thereabouts) who enjoy the fruits of what the feminist movement helped achieve, yet like to proclaim themselves "anti feminist". Ann Coulter - great example: the ball-busting, unmarried, childless career woman who believes women's place is in the home serving their husbands and raising children.

    http://community.feministing.com/2008/07/anti-feminist-women.html

    I mean, it's one thing to have no time for man-haters, to be of the view that men have it bad in a lot of ways because of their gender (while also acknowledging that women have it bad in a lot of ways because of their gender), to revel in girlyness, to fancy the strong alpha-male type (yes please :D)... but I don't see how being anti-feminist is a necessary accompaniment to the above. To me, feminism was originally about deconstructing the notion that women are limited to living life a certain way because of their gender - no more.

    Or being conservative = anti-feminist. Why do some people who embrace conservatism have to support EVERY conservative ideology in order to avoid being seen as inconsistent? Why not leave a little room for flexibility?
    Margaret Thatcher - another example. Hated feminists. Was totally the type who'd assume a feminist meant unattractive, butch etc - seemingly oblivious to the irony of the fact that you don't get to become female prime minister of Great Britain without what the feminist movement achieved.

    Just thought I'd share...


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Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,838 ✭✭✭midlandsmissus


    Feminism basically boils down to the proposal tha women should have equal right and opportunities as men.

    I am very much a feminist, and challenge anyone on their sexist behaviour(still an awful lot of it going round)

    People seem to associate feminism now with hairy legged, aggessive, man haters, which is totally wrong.

    If you think you should have the same rights as men you're a feminist.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    I'm an egalitarian.

    I feel focusing on one specific group is being biased.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,960 ✭✭✭DarkJager


    I just have to ask, do you not feel feminism is a bit "patethic" in this modern age? Its completely unneccesary now, as women are pretty much equal to men in terms of rights (and maybe a bit further if you want to look at how the rights split in a divorce for example). I don't see any "chauvinists" around beating their chests and proclaiming their superiority, so whats make women think they still need to do the same?

    As for sexism, I think you would be quite wrong to allude that feminists should challenge people on their "sexist behaviour" - a fine hypocritical statement to make. Everything with womens culture these days likes to paint men as being some sort of idiotic lecherous breed, who only want sex and have absolutely no other human qualitys than to be the butt of a joke "between the girls". Its prevailent in music ("If I were a boy"), its in advertising ("so easy a man could do it"), its ****ing everywhere and to be honest, it makes me feel nauseous to the pit of my stomach everytime I see another loser waving the "girl power" flag. I'm all for equality between the genders, but anyone who openly comes out and proclaims themselves to be either a chauvinist or a feminist in this day and age can **** right off IMO. It is gender ego tripping and nothing more.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭PrivateEye


    I think the 'F' word is still seen as a dirty 'radical' word to be honest, which is a real shame. In Ireland for example its arguable that one of the greatest feminists in our history was a man (James Connolly arguing for womens rights in the workplace, the right to vote, and the right to social equality- he said that while workers were the slaves of society, female workers had become 'the slaves of slaves') and I would HOPE most other men would agree with the core points of feminism.


    The anti-feminist movement have long argued feminists merely want to replace a male hierarcy with a female one. Most of the women I know who'd consider themselves feminists have all wanted to do away with the hierarcy itself, rather than change its gender.

    I don't buy the arguement that 'sure now womens culture presents us as football obsessed louts on the couch sleeping under a mountain of beer cans' Look at all the 'Lovely Girls' competition that still exist in Ireland today, Miss U.C.D for example. Feminism isn't about women getting together and slinging sh/te at men.

    The political, economic and social equality of women. If thats a mad thing to demand.......what can you ask for?


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    Silverfish wrote: »
    I'm an egalitarian.

    I feel focusing on one specific group is being biased.
    I'm an egalitarian too. That doesn't stop be recognizing discrimination against certain groups like travellers or women.
    DarkJager wrote: »
    Its completely unneccesary now, as women are pretty much equal to men in terms of rights (and maybe a bit further if you want to look at how the rights split in a divorce for example).
    Family law in Ireland is always the first port-of-call of people arguing that women "have it good". However, there are very few other areas that women actually have more rights than men. Moreover, the logic behind the bias in Irish familly law in Ireland towards woman comes from an intrinsically sexist stance: the sphere of the family and children is the woman's sphere.
    DarkJager wrote: »
    I don't see any "chauvinists" around beating their chests and proclaiming their superiority, so whats make women think they still need to do the same?
    You're totally missing the point. Feminism isn't about women proclaiming their superiority: it's about equality and choice.

    DarkJager wrote: »
    Everything with womens culture these days likes to paint men as being some sort of idiotic lecherous breed, who only want sex and have absolutely no other human qualitys than to be the butt of a joke "between the girls". Its prevailent in music ("If I were a boy"), its in advertising ("so easy a man could do it"), its ****ing everywhere and to be honest, it makes me feel nauseous to the pit of my stomach everytime I see another loser waving the "girl power" flag.
    Firstly, what's "women's culture" and are you sure it's "everything" in this culture that paints men like idiots? I'm the first to acknowledge that a lot of advertising paints men as idiots but there are ads out there that paint women as idiots as well. The above examples, which regrettable, do not negate the fact that true equality does not exist.
    DarkJager wrote: »
    I'm all for equality between the genders, but anyone who openly comes out and proclaims themselves to be either a chauvinist or a feminist in this day and age can **** right off IMO. It is gender ego tripping and nothing more.
    Sad..it's attitudes like this that probably cause a lot of young women to be ashamed of the word feminism. I'm as proud to be a feminist as I am proud to be someone who contributes towards helping the less-well off in other countries. Inequality is inequality, whatever name you put on it.

    Dudess, there's a particular author doing the rounds at the moment who really irritates me. Megan Basham is her name and she is advocating that women give up work to support their husbands :rolleyes::rolleyes: This is an article about her:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/27/women-work-and-careers


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,585 ✭✭✭honru


    People seem to associate feminism now with hairy legged, aggessive, man haters

    Probably because the original message of feminism has been integrated into Western society.

    While the movement was badly needed, the pendulum definitely swung too far imo. A significant portion of the current generation of men carry around a lot of unconscious guilt and shame about the mistreatment of women over the centuries and thus act in a very careful manner when dealing with the opposite sex. Appeasing women appears to be the norm in our society as opposed to chivalry and owning what you want unapologetically.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 314 ✭✭Elle Victorine


    DarkJager wrote: »

    Everything with womens culture these days likes to paint men as being some sort of idiotic lecherous breed, who only want sex and have absolutely no other human qualitys than to be the butt of a joke "between the girls".

    Ah...The Sex and the City Afterbirth.:rolleyes: But I get where you're coming from...Infantilisation can be a hard thing to stomach.

    Personally I do not in anyway agree with the treatment of men in certain media circles. I saw an add before where women rob a towel on a man near a pool and I remember htinking god if that was a man doing it to a woman there'd be war. However it's equal in the media....another advert was about a man and a woman on a date and she says "im going to slip into something more comfortable" and comes out a frump with bleach on her top lip and nags him. If I didn't have a sense of humour about it I'd probably be among the groups of women who found the yorky add offensive too. Fact is not all women share the same gender role stereotypes that you're accusing them of.


    I don't get anti-femenism but I think it's important to remember that without it we wouldn't have some of the rights we do now. It's all well and good giving out about it now but personally I like the right to land, education and oh yeah..VOTING! As for Ann Coulter, I wouldn't really suffer that woman's opinions on where I should be spending my time anyway. It's not really her decision to make so let her off..there's about 10 women to her one lined up ready to do the same to her for not doing what suits them.

    I think it's somewhat unfair of her to let the man of the house carry all the financial burdens to be honest. It's not a man's job to take care of his wife it's their responsibility to take care of eachother. What an eejit like lmao!


  • Registered Users Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    She got her lazy husband a job by doing his cv and writing his letters? As a weatherman? And gave up journalism and editing to do this? :confused:

    I was happy enough to read on - women want to stay at home, absolutely fine, as long as it's not "expected" - but that just boggles to me.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    Probably because the original message of feminism has been integrated into Western society.

    While the movement was badly needed, the pendulum definitely swung too far imo. A significant portion of the current generation of men carry around a lot of unconscious guilt and shame about the mistreatment of women over the centuries and thus act in a very careful manner when dealing with the opposite sex. Appeasing women appears to be the norm in our society as opposed to chivalry and owning what you want unapologetically.

    Are you seriously suggesting that it is women's fault that men feel guilty for the shocking treatment of women over the last couple thousand years?

    A few statistics on the question of whether the pendulum has swung too far, in Europe at least:

    -Women make up ontly 37% of EU Commissioners
    -Over all of the EU, women make up 24% of lower houses of parliament and only 21% of upper houses: effectively meaning that 3/4 of decision makers at national level are men.

    Economics
    -all 27 governers of central banks in the EU are men
    -The governing council of the ECB (European Central Bank) is made up a six member executive board, which includes just one woman, and the governors of the central banks of the 15 Euro area countries, who are all men. Overall control of the European financial system therefore has less than 5% female influence

    This is before I even go into social indicators. But suuuuree, we're like tootally equal. No, no in fact you're right. We have too many women in key positions and making important decisions at a national and European level.

    Edit: Bluewolf - but she didn't actually give up her job - she's just published a book! The hypocrisy is insane.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Probably because the original message of feminism has been integrated into Western society.

    While the movement was badly needed, the pendulum definitely swung too far imo. A significant portion of the current generation of men carry around a lot of unconscious guilt and shame about the mistreatment of women over the centuries and thus act in a very careful manner when dealing with the opposite sex. Appeasing women appears to be the norm in our society as opposed to chivalry and owning what you want unapologetically.

    Well, its great that feminism got me so far that I can have the job I have now, I am the only female in the history of the company to be employed in this department.

    Its ****e that feminism has only come so far that every day I am subject to a tirade of 'tsk, women :rolleyes:' jokes that each of my twenty male colleagues thinks he's the first to make.

    Yes I should be grateful, but not when I am the only person in the company being ridiculed for their gender. That is still not equality.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,960 ✭✭✭DarkJager


    Silverfish wrote: »
    Its ****e that feminism has only come so far that every day I am subject to a tirade of 'tsk, women :rolleyes:' jokes that each of my twenty male colleagues thinks he's the first to make.

    Yes I should be grateful, but not when I am the only person in the company being ridiculed for their gender. That is still not equality.

    Oh please...men are subject to those sort of jokes every day in a workplace with female colleagues, I don't see why its suddenly so offensive when the shoe is on the other foot.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    DarkJager wrote: »
    Oh please...men are subject to those sort of jokes every day in a workplace with female colleagues, I don't see why its suddenly so offensive when the shoe is on the other foot.

    I never said it wasn't.

    But this thread is about feminism, you made an example, I pointed out my experience as a female.

    If you want to contribute your experience, feel free.


  • Registered Users Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    DarkJager wrote: »
    Oh please...men are subject to those sort of jokes every day in a workplace with female colleagues, I don't see why its suddenly so offensive when the shoe is on the other foot.

    I've seen plenty of threads ages back about men in workplaces surrounded only by female colleagues and not being too pleased.
    :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    Well I realise this isn't "my" thread, but it was intended as a discussion about anti feminist women, not feminism in general.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Dudess wrote: »
    Well I realise this isn't "my" thread, but it was intended as a discussion about anti feminist women, not feminism in general.

    Ach well, without feminism, they'd never even get so far as to have their opinions heard, so they've automatically proved themselves hypocrites with that one right off the bat.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    taconnol wrote: »
    Edit: Bluewolf - but she didn't actually give up her job - she's just published a book! The hypocrisy is insane.

    She did give up her job and she wrote the book in her spare time at home.
    Like I do my writing when I have time at home.

    I do think that either parent should have the option to become a stay at home parent and be the logistical support for thier partners career it has been proven that those who do have such support and can work the longer hours do better which benefits the family as a whole.

    With the down turn in the gobal ecomony I think we will see a lot of women
    having an extra child and then due to childcare costs and other considerations taking a break in their career to stay at home.

    This should be a choice, feminism is about choice.
    Silverfish wrote: »
    Well, its great that feminism got me so far that I can have the job I have now, I am the only female in the history of the company to be employed in this department.

    Its ****e that feminism has only come so far that every day I am subject to a tirade of 'tsk, women :rolleyes:' jokes that each of my twenty male colleagues thinks he's the first to make.

    Yes I should be grateful, but not when I am the only person in the company being ridiculed for their gender. That is still not equality.


    I agree and it is not something you should have to out up with,
    yes feminism only got so far most due to people thinking all the work was done.

    Smug and snotty women who think that women have it all and we are all now post feminism
    do my head it tbh and one day they will find themselves getting the shítty end of the stick
    and become all disillusioned and usually bitter when they find out the world is not as they
    think it is.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,960 ✭✭✭DarkJager


    Silverfish wrote: »
    I never said it wasn't.

    But this thread is about feminism, you made an example, I pointed out my experience as a female.

    If you want to contribute your experience, feel free.

    Yes, but you made a point about "feminism only getting so far", as being the reason why you are subjected to these jokes. I don't quite get that. Are you saying if feminism went the whole way (which thank **** it didn't) every man would be sitting there like a quiet sheep afraid of getting a slap on the wrist? Its not "being ridiculed", its a gentle yet edgy style of joke that has been around for years and is well practiced by both sides of the gender divide.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    DarkJager wrote: »
    Yes, but you made a point about "feminism only getting so far", as being the reason why you are subjected to these jokes. I don't quite get that.

    Cos no one should be subjected to that in the work place esp when they are
    a minority and the first female to hold such a postion. The fact that she is makes her a ground breaker and that is hard enough with out that shíte.

    DarkJager wrote: »
    Are you saying if feminism went the whole way (which thank **** it didn't) every man would be sitting there like a quiet sheep afraid of getting a slap on the wrist?

    You have a rather fúcked up idea of what the goals of feminism are/were.
    IF you want to start another thread on that topic, I would be happy to take part in that
    discussion as it really is off topic to this thread.
    DarkJager wrote: »
    Its not "being ridiculed", its a gentle yet edgy style of joke that has been around for years and is well practiced by both sides of the gender divide.

    There are a time and place for such things and the work place really is not
    one of them esp when there is such a gender disbalance.
    I would say the exact me thing if the genders were reversed.


    I think a lot of the ungratefulness and complacency comes from lack of awareness and lack
    of education. We do not teach children in school about such topics or the history and cultural
    changes of the last 50 years, most 20 year olds have no idea that it was illegal in the 70s for married women to stay in work, or that contraception was illegal until the mid 80s
    and so were condom machines until the mid 90s.

    Eaten bread is soon forgotten.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    DarkJager wrote: »
    Yes, but you made a point about "feminism only getting so far", as being the reason why you are subjected to these jokes. I don't quite get that. Are you saying if feminism went the whole way (which thank **** it didn't) every man would be sitting there like a quiet sheep afraid of getting a slap on the wrist? Its not "being ridiculed", its a gentle yet edgy style of joke that has been around for years and is well practiced by both sides of the gender divide.
    I have never once complained to my managers that the males in my department are incapable of doing their jobs, are incapable of doing maths, reading technical drawings, understanding taxes and computers, and driving a car, when they're on their first week in the job.

    When I find myself doing that, I'll come back here and apologise to you.

    Bearing in mind I've been in the workforce for 16 years and haven't done it yet, I wouldn't hold my breath.

    In fact, I did complain to a manager before about one male in a female dominated workplace. I asked why he was forced to wear a shirt and tie every day to work when he was clearly uncomfortable, when we could wear what we wanted provided we looked respectable.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 809 ✭✭✭Terodil


    taconnol wrote: »
    Are you seriously suggesting that it is women's fault that men feel guilty for the shocking treatment of women over the last couple thousand years?
    Firstly, your statistics are probably accurate (I won't bother confirming since they ring very true), and that indeed shows that men and women are not equal when it comes to job positions.

    Statistics are difficult to interpret without additional reference data though. Is this discrepancy due to women being discriminated against in the labour market? Is it due to them not choosing those careers? I don't know, I cannot tell. I have a feeling it's both. We should do something about the first explanation, as it's no longer acceptable, for good reason. However if the second holds then we'll make a mistake by introducing/applying an implicit 'women quota'.

    About the guilt question: No, it's not the fault of women that men feel guilty. But me are often made to feel guilty, no doubt about it. One very simple example can be seen if you look at the education system these days. I don't know the situation in Ireland; in Germany, 95% of primary school teachers are female. Boys are regularly put aside and reprimanded because of their (statistically) higher activity levels and lack of concentration. This leads to significantly higher proportion of girls making it into grammar schools than boys. Yet at the same time, calls for 'girl only math classes' are getting louder and louder 'because they don't feel comfortable about learning maths in the company of boastful boys'. Hmm...

    In conclusion we have a very weird situation this day. On the one hand, equality has not been fully reached, but we do not know what to do about it or how much we need to do about it. On the other hand I can see what one pre-poster above said about the pendulum having gone too far: If boys are rejected from certain classes (e.g. confidence-building or self-defense classes 'for girls only') then something's definitely wrong.

    I think we are in desperate need of making one more step. We're clearly wrong if we focus exclusively on the existence or absence of the annex down there. We need to pay a lot more attention to personality patterns. There are shy men, aggressive women, male math geniuses and female math geniuses... cooperative male managers and dictatorial female managers... I think the old patterns simply do not hold very much. They were required in the past, no doubt about it, but these days, to find true balance, they are more a hindrance than help.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,585 ✭✭✭honru


    taconnol wrote: »
    Are you seriously suggesting that it is women's fault that men feel guilty for the shocking treatment of women over the last couple thousand years?

    No-one in particular is at fault; we all must take responsibility for our emotions, yet it was perhaps inevitable that guilt would arise in males after the feminist movement. Whether the awareness of such will also serve as a positive consequence in the path to full equality for both parties remains to be seen.

    As for the women and the workplace, I don't have much to say on the subject. But looking at your examples, if you consider a gender comparison in the context of time, rather than a gender-to-gender comparison, I would think that 37% female presence in the European Commission is a significant increase over how it was two or three decades ago. Maybe I'm wrong?


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    Thaedydal wrote: »
    She did give up her job and she wrote the book in her spare time at home.
    Sure but she took on a new career - as a writer. Not all women have the ability to take up such a flexible job.

    I don't disagree with her idea that one parent stays at home: my issue is that she argues that women have "supporting" and "nurturing" tendencies that mean they are the ones that should stay at home.

    She doesn't go into the pension implications of giving up work, nor does she seem to consider the idea that many men may equally want to give up work and stay at home with the kids.
    Terodil wrote: »
    Statistics are difficult to interpret without additional reference data though. Is this discrepancy due to women being discriminated against in the labour market? Is it due to them not choosing those careers? I don't know, I cannot tell. I have a feeling it's both. We should do something about the first explanation, as it's no longer acceptable, for good reason. However if the second holds then we'll make a mistake by introducing/applying an implicit 'women quota'.
    Oh sure, the reasons behind these sort of statistics are the subject of much research.
    Terodil wrote: »
    About the guilt question: No, it's not the fault of women that men feel guilty. But me are often made to feel guilty, no doubt about it. One very simple example can be seen if you look at the education system these days. I don't know the situation in Ireland; in Germany, 95% of primary school teachers are female. Boys are regularly put aside and reprimanded because of their (statistically) higher activity levels and lack of concentration. This leads to significantly higher proportion of girls making it into grammar schools than boys. Yet at the same time, calls for 'girl only math classes' are getting louder and louder 'because they don't feel comfortable about learning maths in the company of boastful boys'. Hmm...
    Do you have any stats on boys being pulled aside more frequently than girls and how this impacts on their grades? I do worry about the fact that girls seem to do so much better than boys in school - when things tip too far one way or the other, it's normally a sign that something is wrong.
    No-one in particular is at fault; we all must take responsibility for our emotions, yet it was perhaps inevitable that guilt would arise in males after the feminist movement. Whether the awareness of such will also serve as a positive consequence in the path to full equality for both parties remains to be seen.
    I see what you mean and as a feminist I would never ever try and make any male I meet feel guilty. Some do and pass negative comments if I bring up a particular issue, but I can't help that. To give a similar example, I live in a country that benefits from huge trade barriers to keep this country rich and other countries poor. I can't help but feel guilty about that situation even through I didn't personally have a hand in creating it.
    As for the women and the workplace, I don't have much to say on the subject. But looking at your examples, if you consider a gender comparison in the context of time, rather than a gender-to-gender comparison, I would think that 37% female presence in the European Commission is a significant increase over how it was two or three decades ago. Maybe I'm wrong?
    Oh sure, it's changing. Just a matter of time, hopefully :) Although some worrying trends did appear in the UK a few months ago, in relation to statistics and attitudes. It seems that while the economy is motoring along, everyone's happy for women to be in the workplace but as soon as things turn bad, people start thinking "they're takin our joooobs"

    Back on topic (sorry Dudess..!) Top of my anti-feminist women:

    Sarah Palin (Argh!!)
    Ann Coulter (absolutely can't stand her)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 911 ✭✭✭994


    taconnol wrote: »
    Are you seriously suggesting that it is women's fault that men feel guilty for the shocking treatment of women over the last couple thousand years?

    Why should one feel guilty about things that happened before one's birth? Half of my ancestors were female, and half of yours were male, and it's not as if no woman ever exploited a man (cuckoldry, forcing men to go to war, etc.)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,001 ✭✭✭p1akuw47h5r3it


    taconnol wrote: »
    I'm an egalitarian too. That doesn't stop be recognizing discrimination against certain groups like travellers or women.


    Family law in Ireland is always the first port-of-call of people arguing that women "have it good". However, there are very few other areas that women actually have more rights than men. Moreover, the logic behind the bias in Irish familly law in Ireland towards woman comes from an intrinsically sexist stance: the sphere of the family and children is the woman's sphere.


    You're totally missing the point. Feminism isn't about women proclaiming their superiority: it's about equality and choice.



    Firstly, what's "women's culture" and are you sure it's "everything" in this culture that paints men like idiots? I'm the first to acknowledge that a lot of advertising paints men as idiots but there are ads out there that paint women as idiots as well. The above examples, which regrettable, do not negate the fact that true equality does not exist.


    Sad..it's attitudes like this that probably cause a lot of young women to be ashamed of the word feminism. I'm as proud to be a feminist as I am proud to be someone who contributes towards helping the less-well off in other countries. Inequality is inequality, whatever name you put on it.

    Dudess, there's a particular author doing the rounds at the moment who really irritates me. Megan Basham is her name and she is advocating that women give up work to support their husbands :rolleyes::rolleyes: This is an article about her:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/27/women-work-and-careers

    (The bit in bold): Ri I'm a fella and I'm not trying to annoy you but:

    How does true equality (in the Western world ) not exist?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,252 ✭✭✭✭stovelid


    Dudess wrote: »
    Came across the following blog entry which sums up perfectly my feelings on women under 60 (or thereabouts) who enjoy the fruits of what the feminist movement helped achieve, yet like to proclaim themselves "anti feminist". Ann Coulter - great example: the ball-busting, unmarried, childless career woman who believes women's place is in the home serving their husbands and raising children.
    .

    Remember this?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP5jQRxLpy4

    :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,165 ✭✭✭✭brianthebard


    PrivateEye wrote: »
    I think the 'F' word is still seen as a dirty 'radical' word to be honest, which is a real shame. In Ireland for example its arguable that one of the greatest feminists in our history was a man (James Connolly arguing for womens rights in the workplace, the right to vote, and the right to social equality- he said that while workers were the slaves of society, female workers had become 'the slaves of slaves') and I would HOPE most other men would agree with the core points of feminism.


    The anti-feminist movement have long argued feminists merely want to replace a male hierarcy with a female one. Most of the women I know who'd consider themselves feminists have all wanted to do away with the hierarcy itself, rather than change its gender.

    Two points of clarification; While Connolly was great and all I do think that Francis Seehy-Skeffington and his wife Hanna had more to say on feminism than Connolly.

    Secondly, radical feminism did argue to replace a male hierarchy with a female one, to invert the binary, and also to destroy their femininity by dressing and acting masculine or butch. There are many feminists who have said and acknowledge this, and say that it is the wrong method. Kristeva for one. That is not to say that all feminists subscribe to this radical viewpoint, but its not surprising that opponents to the movement have used the most extreme version to tarnish the whole collective.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,639 ✭✭✭LightningBolt


    I want to live in this sort of society, I like their method of dealing with conflict;) [FONT=&quot]http://www.geocities.com/willc7/bonobos.html[/FONT]

    Women have near full equality nowadays I believe. It's when we look at high ranking positions that we have to question why there isn't more women at the helm. Does it boil down to them not being as qualified as their male counterparts, not commanding the same respect from peers (the final barrier to having an equal society I believe) or ability to commit to the job role because of pregnancy? What's the age profile of the ECB Board, I'd be willing to bet that it's at least 45+. I think it's another 10 years before we'll have women appearing on these types of boards or central banks purely because women are only now working in jobs that will give them the experience required in future to be able to command those positions.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Does it boil down to them not being as qualified as their male counterparts, not commanding the same respect from peers (the final barrier to having an equal society I believe)


    Eh? How can a woman who has the same qualification at the same level as a man, and has the same experience be less qualified?

    And what do you mean about not commanding the same respect from peers?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    taconnol wrote: »
    Are you seriously suggesting that it is women's fault that men feel guilty for the shocking treatment of women over the last couple thousand years?


    -Women make up ontly 37% of EU Commissioners
    -Over all of the EU, women make up 24% of lower houses of parliament and only 21% of upper houses: effectively meaning that 3/4 of decision makers at national level are men.

    Very genderist of you and I suppose you are taking responsibility for behavior of women everywhere and in previous generations too.

    It may come as a surprise to you that Women have the Vote in Ireland - at least I think so.:rolleyes:


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  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    CDfm wrote: »
    Very genderist of you and I suppose you are taking responsibility for behavior of women everywhere and in previous generations too.

    It may come as a surprise to you that Women have the Vote in Ireland - at least I think so.:rolleyes:

    Mother of God, you sound like a male colleague of mine who tried to (unsuccessfully) argue recently that men were discriminated against in Irish Society :rolleyes:

    Anyway as regards your post, the OP that you quoted is talking about the proportion of female representatives in government, NOT whether or not women have the vote, there's a slight difference there :rolleyes:

    Back OT I dislike anti feminist women, it seems in the past few years there has been a backlash/movement emanating from the States which advocates the "traditional" homemaker role for women, I've not read any of the women quoted, but will over the next few days, my problem with it is the lack of choice rather than any gender based role.


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