the feminism subject again

I decided to make a new post in regard to Molly Blooms question about feminism because I thought it would be so far down on the thread that it may not be heard and I surely want it to be heard.

I wonder how old women are when they say that they have never felt unequal - someone said something like that.

Well I am 62 and I was right in the middle of it when it began and progressed in the 60's (of course it began a long time before that). Let me tell you - things are better now but there is a long way to go. I remember growing up in a very unequal world. I remember that all the women in my working class family worked but always at low paying jobs and the housekeeping part was the lowest paid and the most taken for granted. Noone ever even said thankyou for being such a good little slave - coming home from work in the evening and doing the housework while I have a few beers and relax. There were a number of aspects to it, but the first and formost revolved around work. We wanted to be allowed to work in the more lucrative professions (since we were working anyway) - we wanted access for ourselves and for our daughters. The notion that we were against women who stayed at home to care for the family is absurd. And the notion that women had never worked before is also absurd - it is just that we got the most menial work and the lowest paid work and most of the good high paying prestigeous professions were CLOSED to all but a very few privileged women or women who were agressive enough to fight the good fight. For example: As soon as men discovered that women were actually clever emough to be able to type - the rate of pay went down and the female secretary/receptionist/clerk was born. I was a latch key kid as we were called - I came home from school by myself from age 7 on- let myself in and proceeded to do the work my mother would have been doing if she was not working to help make ends meet. Few women actually got a college education unless they went to be teachers or nurses. Noble professions but also overworked and under paid. This was the fifties. As far as homemaking was concerned - women referred to themselves as "just a housewife" Only girls were taught how to do it and boys were picked up after and treated like little kings. Housework was taken for granted - not paid for and not respected for the amazingly creative and important - MOST important - job it was. Just like nurses and teachers.

Then there were the sexual attidudes. The nasty names a girl would be labeled with if she had sex. No nasty names for the boys - no boy sluts, tramps, pigs, dogs, and worse etc. etc. - it goes on and on. Birth control was virtually unavailable and sex education did not exist. I started having sex with a boy at 17 - it was awful - I had desires but I knew nothing - and the shame of it - and he knew nothing either and he hurt me and I was so shy I could not even speak up because I was taught to be totally ashamed of my sexuality. I was also taught to be quiet and ladylike. My mother told me nothing except the basics and that was more than her mother had told her. Her period, she said, came as a total surprise and during school time - she was terrified and mortified - she thought she was bleeding to death - the reason she warned me about it so I would be prepared. Date rape happened all the time - a boy would pin you down and try to force you - you had to literally fight them off - remember in those days we were extremely shy about it - you always felt like it was your fault - then they would spread stories about you and "ruin your reputation" This is my story but I knew plenty of women of all classes who had similar stories - we had womens consciousness raising groups in those days. It was so great actually! We really supported each other - like sisters. We learned an enormous amount.

I think it may have come a long way but I still am infuriated when I see any of those magazine spreads that honor groups of people who have done supposedly great things - artist perhaps - authors - performers - business leaders - whatever - mostly all men - and I can always name many women who could have been included. About a year ago I think it was, Rolling Stone had one of those things - they were ALL men except for Paris Hilton with her legs wide spread and some other sex kitten type - that's the worst and I guess what should we expect from Rolling Stone? A lot I say!!!!! Why is it not 50 /50? A good question. There are many many many extremely talented women artists that rag could have held up for praise. The appalling thing is noone seems to notice - at least they don't seem to ever print any letters to the editors about - I have written some myself.

Well a great thing happened last week Doris Lessing won the the Nobel Peace Prize - what a great author she is - in her nineties now and still going strong - what took them so long? Is there still hope?

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