A number of last week’s comments on International Women’s Day called on women to come together, to work together, to make things better. This is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, but feel the need to hash out the details on what that looks like.
First of all, I am not sold on the idea that we women have to support one another without question. If a woman is busting through the glass ceiling I definitely want to support her, but not if she’s stepping on other women and worsening inequality on her way up
Secondly, I think it is critical that men are as devoted to pushing for sexual equality as much as women are. It is just another well-executed bit of trickery, in my opinion, that the push for equality (whether on a sexual, racial or class basis) is so often framed as a threat to the group that holds power. It is obvious to me that heterosexual men have a lot to gain from an economy that values women equally: knowing your wife will be paid fairly for her work should take the load off in terms the economic pressures that all too often land on shoulders of male partners. The relief of this pressure would also allow men a greater opportunity to deepen their relationships with their communities, elders and offspring. And in the new, egalitarian economy we are working towards, men and women alike would be rewarded and revered for their efforts in care-giving, the most important job of all. Oh… and wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could do away, once and for all, with the notion that the size of a man’s wallet bore some relationship to his manhood?
International Women’s Day has also been named, “A Day Without a Woman.” The idea is that if all women strike, not only would we get to relax for once, but we’d also get to teach the world a lesson about how important the work we do is. This plan MIGHT work if every woman on Bowen were truly committed to the plan, but if not, those of us who did strike would just end up relying on the women who couldn’t afford NOT to. And there’s not much unity in that.
Thank you to all those women who wrote in last week with thoughts on International Women’s Day. To all the men out there have yet to flip the page – I want to hear from you too – after all you’re a critical part of the conversation.
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