Monday, December 5, 2011

Am I a Feminist?

Some days I think so, and some I think not. I suppose, like so many things, a definition is key. (Side note: I love words and think languages are fascinating. When I'm a crazy 80-year-old lady who doesn't want to leave any money to her grandkids, I'm going to go back to uni and study linguistics.)
Anyway, the following was found at dictionary.com (my Collins concise is too far away at the moment):
Feminist (adj.): Advocating, social, political, legal and economic rights for women equal to those of men.
(noun): an advocate of such rights.

I guess by that definition, I'm not really a feminist, because I don't spend much time advocating for anything. I do hold a few beliefs and values that some may describe as feminist, but others that might be described as very old-fashioned and steeped in patriarchy.

1) I don't hate men. Many of the men I encounter are lovely creatures. In fact, I like men so much that one day, I hope to marry one.

2) Although I one day wish to get married, I don't discount the importance of what I do as a single woman. I'm working as a music teacher because I think that what I do is important, not because I need something to do to fill in the time before Mr Right comes along to sweep me off my feet.

3) Although I think my job is important, if/when I have children, I'd love to be a stay-at-home mum, at least before my children go to school. I realise that this depends on unknowable future circumstances, but I really appreciate that my mum made the decision to stay home with her kids, and we were always her first priority.

4) An argument I recently read against feminism is that it encouraged sexual promiscuity. I wasn't alive in the 50s and 60s, so I don't know for sure, but apparently there was (still is?) a double standard in terms of appropriate sexual behaviour. I'd like to argue that I don't agree with promiscuity for either men or women. Granted, physical consequences of sex are often greater for women than for men. That's just biology.

5) I dislike most of the stereotypes pertaining to women. The other day, I was browsing through an advertising leaflet from a book shop. There were two facing pages, one with books recommended for men, the other recommending books for women. Both my mother and I thought the books for men (linguistics, science, economics) looked much more interesting than the books for women (fashion and baking). I dislike the picture this paints of shallow, brainless women.

6) I think women should be able to choose any career they want. Engineer, lawyer, teacher, home-maker, hair-dresser, musician. Any of these job titles could equally apply to men. Gender shouldn't play a part in it.

7) I don't think the pay-gap statistics are a paticularly valid argument. More women than men choose to work in lower paying jobs such as childcare, and more men choose to work higher-paid mining jobs, for example. Equal pay for equal work is something I strongly support, although equality between sectors won't be realistic unless Australia suddenly decides that communism is a great idea.

8) Men and women are different, but differences exist between women and between men as well. How many of these differences are innate and how many are taught is something we will probably never know.

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