Feminism and Work, Work, Work
Yesterday, we wrote a piece on women and the church. Readers (not surprisingly), left very insightful comments that led the conversation to widen, and to include ideas on feminism.
After reading our post and comments, Michele wrote a post, 'The Other F Word,' that posed two questions, 'How do you define feminism?' and 'What does feminism mean to you?' That post too, inspired some very thoughtful responses.
SC&A have some thoughts and ideas on feminism that we wish to share.
We would like to say that these ideas are opinions- no more and no less. We believe they are well founded, but like all opinion, one may do with them as they wish.
We do not have the time or space to present an exhaustive analysis, so bear with us. Our ideas are not meant to be agreed with or disagreed with. The are only presented as the basis for a conversation, to exchange ideas. Some of what we say may strike a chord, some may not. We would hope our readers find some of these ideas interesting.
We believe the origins of modern feminism can be dated to 1789, the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Until that time, for the most part (please, spare us the anecdotal exceptions), men and women were identified by how well they provided for their families in their assigned roles.
Most of society was agrarian (farm/rural) based. A man stepped outside his home and went to work in the fields or hunted in the woods. Whether he owned his own land or was a tenant farmer, that is how it was.
His wife took care of home, hearth and family. That was the agreed upon compact. Their value and worth to society and to each other were measured by how well they took care of that family unit.
No, it wasn't perfect and no, it wasn't ideal. Nonetheless, it worked.
The Industrial Revolution changed all that- for men. No longer was a man's work in the fields. His work and life became centered around the factory. This is significant because now, in the immediate, his work is valued by his productivity in producing something other than what his family has use for. The man has become 'important.' His status in the community increased with higher 'job titles' and 'positions.' He wa no longer recognized by how well he did by his family. It was how well he did by his work that gave him status.
All the while, his wife stays home and honors her part of the deal. She cares for her home and family as women have for millenia. This truth becomes very significant, because the compact between man and women changes- and she is getting shortchanged.
The man is no longer defined by how well he takes care of his family, the who he is, but now, he is being defined by the what he is. To this day, when asked who someone is, we instinctively answer with words that define the what that person does (lawyer, doctor, candlestick maker, etc.). All the while, woman's roles have barely changed- except when men saw an economic advantage to doing so.
Women resented being 'nothing,' or 'less than.' as they were often reminded. Men were reaping the benefits of 'progress' and women were being relegated to an almost invisble status, used and defined as needed.
Not surprisingly, there came a point when women said. 'screw you- we want a part of this relevence and this meaning, too.'
So women finally stepped out of the home- and succeeded. Women, like men, proved their business and political acumen, much to the dismay of many men. Women have clearly proven they have the brains, wherewithall and temperment to get the job done- and get it done right.
Feminism, like every other social movement, has done much good for our society. There have been missteps and mistakes, but overall, with the extremes from either end of the feminist movement dismissed, we're all a lot better off because of feminism.
Maybe we're coming full circle, back to that compact where our uniquequalities and individualities are seen as equally contributory to a better society.
One can only hope.
We realize there will be many who will dismiss these ideas as not taking into account this, not taking into account that, but in the end, we hope we caused a few moments thought.
After reading our post and comments, Michele wrote a post, 'The Other F Word,' that posed two questions, 'How do you define feminism?' and 'What does feminism mean to you?' That post too, inspired some very thoughtful responses.
SC&A have some thoughts and ideas on feminism that we wish to share.
We would like to say that these ideas are opinions- no more and no less. We believe they are well founded, but like all opinion, one may do with them as they wish.
We do not have the time or space to present an exhaustive analysis, so bear with us. Our ideas are not meant to be agreed with or disagreed with. The are only presented as the basis for a conversation, to exchange ideas. Some of what we say may strike a chord, some may not. We would hope our readers find some of these ideas interesting.
We believe the origins of modern feminism can be dated to 1789, the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Until that time, for the most part (please, spare us the anecdotal exceptions), men and women were identified by how well they provided for their families in their assigned roles.
Most of society was agrarian (farm/rural) based. A man stepped outside his home and went to work in the fields or hunted in the woods. Whether he owned his own land or was a tenant farmer, that is how it was.
His wife took care of home, hearth and family. That was the agreed upon compact. Their value and worth to society and to each other were measured by how well they took care of that family unit.
No, it wasn't perfect and no, it wasn't ideal. Nonetheless, it worked.
The Industrial Revolution changed all that- for men. No longer was a man's work in the fields. His work and life became centered around the factory. This is significant because now, in the immediate, his work is valued by his productivity in producing something other than what his family has use for. The man has become 'important.' His status in the community increased with higher 'job titles' and 'positions.' He wa no longer recognized by how well he did by his family. It was how well he did by his work that gave him status.
All the while, his wife stays home and honors her part of the deal. She cares for her home and family as women have for millenia. This truth becomes very significant, because the compact between man and women changes- and she is getting shortchanged.
The man is no longer defined by how well he takes care of his family, the who he is, but now, he is being defined by the what he is. To this day, when asked who someone is, we instinctively answer with words that define the what that person does (lawyer, doctor, candlestick maker, etc.). All the while, woman's roles have barely changed- except when men saw an economic advantage to doing so.
Women resented being 'nothing,' or 'less than.' as they were often reminded. Men were reaping the benefits of 'progress' and women were being relegated to an almost invisble status, used and defined as needed.
Not surprisingly, there came a point when women said. 'screw you- we want a part of this relevence and this meaning, too.'
So women finally stepped out of the home- and succeeded. Women, like men, proved their business and political acumen, much to the dismay of many men. Women have clearly proven they have the brains, wherewithall and temperment to get the job done- and get it done right.
Feminism, like every other social movement, has done much good for our society. There have been missteps and mistakes, but overall, with the extremes from either end of the feminist movement dismissed, we're all a lot better off because of feminism.
Maybe we're coming full circle, back to that compact where our uniquequalities and individualities are seen as equally contributory to a better society.
One can only hope.
We realize there will be many who will dismiss these ideas as not taking into account this, not taking into account that, but in the end, we hope we caused a few moments thought.
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