FIVE THINGS FEMINISM HAS DONE FOR ME

Only five things? Well, I haven't been tagged yet but here goes: 

1.   Feminism has given me the opportunity to pursue my God-given talents and my calling.

2.   Feminism has given me the opportunity to be happy as a married woman and to enjoy all my relationships with male friends and colleagues, knowing that I interact with them from a position of equality.

3.  Feminism has given me the freedom to say yes to sex and the freedom to say no to sex.

4.  Feminism has given me the opportunity to push myself to the limit in athletic competition. 

5.  Feminism means that my career, and my interests, and my family role, and my economic life, have not been forcibly defined for me based on my sex. 

Via Feministe.  I tag all of you. 

Comments

[AndiF]

Feminism's gift to me is that events from my life sound now unbelievable:
1. No mother will ever find out like mine did when my father died without a will in 1962 that she has no legal relationship to her own children, will never have to go to court to be named legal guardian to them, and will never need to carry around the legal documents to prove it.
2. The straight A older sister of someone's best friend will not be told she won't be allowed to go to college as she so desperately wants because it only makes sense to save the money for the C- son.
3. Mothers won't be advised not to put daughters in talented and gifted programs because "it's wasted on girls" (mine didn't listen).
4. Young women won't hunt for summer jobs through newspaper classified ads separated into "Men Wanted" and "Women Wanted".
5. Women graduating from college won't go into the Career Placement office at the university and have the first question asked be "How fast can you type?".

[puglette]

Feminism gave me:
1. (as a teen) The example to question many of my father's 1800s era opinions, especially in regards to politics, race, and women's roles. Later I learned control over my volume level...

2. (at age 18) I became the first woman in my family to get a driver's license, a car, and later graduated college, in a field I chose! A younger cousin recently became a fireman; I'm so damned proud of HER!

3. (at age 22) The ability to ignore my father's disapproval because I decided to "live in sin" (his words) in Boston with a man who 20 years later, is still a very dear friend. My father said, as the relationship broke up, "Why would he marry you if you were putting out for free?" REALLY. Yet his own mother, then 80+ years old, had laughed at that notion and said she wished she "could have lived with a man first"...died at 95; tough, sweet lady we nicknamed "The Little General", who shook her head often about some of her son's opinions.

4. (at age 24) The confidence to ignore Dad and move across the country to live with another boyfriend (SHOCK! newly DIVORCED!), my husband of now 14 years. We lived together for 3 years before we married, have been business partners, parents, best pals and worst enemies, depending on the day. While my mother feels she has to "ask permission" from Dad, my husband and I laugh over the idea of him controlling or "letting" me do anything. Hell, she didn't even have a license until she was 50 and goes NOWHERE w/o his OK.

5. Lastly, at age 41, comfort in who I am, the ability to be cordial with my father, and the desire to learn as much as I can (in part from sites like this and its links), so our daughters can make informed, intelligent choices in their own lives and take responsibility for them. They will always have their mom and dad's support. I agree with AndiF; it does sound so odd, doesn't it?

[LauraJMixon]

Beautifully put, HF. Thanks for sharing that.

-l.

[will]

Feminism has given me:

1. diaper changing
2. clothes washing
3. dish washing
4. cooking responsibilities
5. keyboarding skills

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The idea that a woman cannot be as smart me, as hardworking as I am, or as interested in sex is just ridiculous.

I also find it ridiculous that someone could be a better parent than me simply because they have a vagina and I have a penis.

[annamal]

1) The vote (and two female prime ministers in succession)

2) A family which moved halfway accross the country so my mum could pursue her study

3) A steady well paid job in a traditionally male area.

4)A voice and the chance to be heard

5)The oppurtunity to avoid having children ( while endlessly admiring those who do)

[Cassandra]

Feminism has given me:
1. A tool to fight back against society's image of what my body should look like. I don't always win the battle, but at least I have something strong to fight with.

2. An inability to be intimidated by someone just because he's a guy. I wish I could transfer this to my girlfriends who say they have trouble talking to guys (not even guys they have crushes on, which I could understand--just guys! in general!); their complaints always make me want to scream, THEY'RE JUST PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME! This also goes for girls who feel that classroom discussions (when people aren't adhering too strictly to being called on) are male dominated. If you have something to say, JUST FREAKING SAY IT.

3. A healthy relationship to sexuality: freedom from guilt or fear of pregnancy, the knowledge and ability to use protection, feminist-influenced boys who won't pressure me into anything I don't want to do, and the ability to teach those who will what's what.

4. The strength of mind to, when a guy recently "accidentally" groped me at a dance, grab his arm, look him in the eye, and say "That was my breast you just touched. If you do that again, I will slap you across the face." And to mean it!

5. A totally awesome mom who provided me with the groundwork for all of the above.

[Starfoxy]

1. The literature (and freedom to read it) that showed me the abusive and controlling habits of a man I nearly married, allowing me to break up with him before I made any comittments.

2. My name is on the title to everything we own, and will be mine should my husband die.

3. The freedom to attend college, to recieve scholarships, and to have female mentors in a traditionally male field.

4. The knowledge that I look just fine without makeup. (I should also include gratefulness for a husband that has never critiqued my appearance, but has expressed honest concern for my health when my weight has dropped to unhealthy levels. I don't know if that's feminism, or just great parenting on the part of my in laws.)

5. Happy memories of playing competetive team sports and being taken seriously.

Remember who had the rumble with Vox? Well, someone is getting him today. He keeps deleting the comment...but they keep reposting.

He wrote: "It's also interesting to note that there appears to be some evidence that the popular saying is incorrect and behind every great woman is a man doing at least some of the actual work.

Einstein would be Einstein without Mrs. Einstein. Would Marie Curie have won her Nobel prizes without Pierre?"

Someone posted this from another site and said: The Man behind the accomplishments of Vox:

"Bartholomew's Notes on Religion has an very interesting entry about WorldNetDaily columnist Vox Day. While we knew that he was, in real life, Christian sci-fi novelist Theodore Beale, we didn't know that his father was millionaire Robert Beale, a board member and stockholder in WorldNetDaily.com. I had always wondered how Vox got the WorldNet gig (not that he isn't a provocative and and often times intelligent columnist in his own way, but he just didn't seem to be a fit for WorldNet). So, this would at least explain how his column came to the board's attention."

People in glass towers should not throw stones.

I've noticed his followers have not commented on this...can't see their hero go down I suppose.

This one is fun too!

"The cited contributions are insignificant, that's what made it post-worthy in the first place."

Madame Curie (Nobel Prize winner and the one who worked with radium), Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Ark (fought off the French invasion by the English), and the world famous Coco Chanel are all insignificant? Just when you think feminists make statements that are not too bright!

[Richard]

Interesting question for a man to answer, because it asks a selfish question, What has feminism done for me? So, selfishly, I’d have to say that it’s made women better friends and colleagues to me. I’ve always had more female than male friends, and to be quite honest, I generally prefer their company to men (I'm admitting here a preference based on sex. Does this mean I'm sexist? Guess so.) But I can’t imagine I’d relate very well to women who were culturally and socially restricted from the life men experience. There would be little common ground. Women able to think for themselves, and experience life in any manner they define for themselves, are to me far more interesting people, and I think, more valuable friends.