In the decades since the inception of the Feminist Movement, the notion of feminism continues to divide people. The division is not necessarily a dispute as to whether women should be treated equitably in terms of access to education or employment or any other area of life. Most reasonable people would agree that women should have the right to access the same educational opportunities, jobs etc. that men access. Most people would also agree that women have the right to make decisions about their own destiny as long as their choices don't impact the rights of others.
A growing number of women, particularly young women, are beginning to question the attitudes of the leaders of the feminist movement. These leaders have not just promoted notions of equality but have at times seemed to imply that women are superior and men are often irrelevant. Remember the famous statement: "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." often credited to Gloria Steinem. (Now in a happy relationship, she no longer takes credit for this statement. (See The Phrase Finder.)
One of the critical issues that divide historical feminists from a growing number of independent women is the failure of the feminist movement to demand women honestly accept responsibility for their personal and professional choices. For example, a woman can choose to work in corporate America, but she may need to put off becoming a mother. If she chooses to have children, she will have to put either her career or her child first. One will suffer: the best nanny in the world is not a mom and while some Mom's cut back on hours, most men and other women will not, thus leaving the more involved mom at a disadvantage. The ideal for these women would be men share more in parenting. If men do not support women in this endeavor, than the woman made Steinem pick for a partner and now must deal with the consequences of that decision as well. Those women who choose to put their career first and whose husbands or partners give them the freedom to put their careers first are the exception and they are the women who climb the corporate ladder the most quickly.
This is not a failing of the corporate world, it is a reality of business, whose responsibilities are to maximize earnings for owners or shareholders.
Other women choose to be single parents. Few individuals, other than the moderately to very wealthy, can hire nannies to parent for them. Most of these children end up in group daycare with staff ratios at the maximum rather than the minimum because that is the best their parent can afford. At the risk of offending working Moms, babies and young children do not benefit from being in a daycare center 50- 60 hours each week, they survive it. The average 40 hour work week is really an 8 1/2 hour - 9 hour day with breaks and lunch. Corporate workers often work a 9 - 10 hour day. Add to that transportation time of one hour per day and the child is in care 50 - 60 hours / week.) All the talk of socialization benefits serves primarily to make women feel better about their choice. Women and men should put their children first, minimize the time a child spends outside of the home environment, especially in infancy, and provide young children with an age-appropriate amount of peer interactions.(See Daycare and Brain Chemistry, Aggression in Kindergartners)
Next, women often refer to the "glass ceiling" when discussing the disproportionate number of men CEOs. The average CEO is 50 years old. (See Forbes) Deductively, the average CEO graduated from college in 1981. The percentage of women graduating from Harvard Business School in 1985: 25%. (As recently as 2000, women comprised only 30% of business school attendees.) McKinsey, one of the most successful consulting firms in the world boasts only 20% of its employees are women. Nationally, 60% of women are happy with their salaries but a growing number of younger women do not believe that there will be any corporate imposed barriers to their success. (See Forbes.com)
Increasingly, women are leaving corporate America for a variety of reasons, including starting their own businesses. (See BusinessWeek online) Women are starting businesses at a rate of 2:1 compared to the rate of business startups, overall. (See Small Business Trends) Women are taking control of their lives and their careers in greater numbers than ever before. (See WITI)
At the end of the day, most women have a rational understanding of the natural differences between men and women, and the truth about balancing career and family. Unfortunately, many leaders of the feminist movement do not recognize the realities of the business world, the importance of the interdependence of men and women.
Real or not, leaders of the feminist movement often appear to take a ?women have the right to do whatever they want, regardless of the consequences? approach to promoting their agenda. Feminists need to begin to honestly discuss the truth that in life there are sacrifices to be made and roles and responsibilities to balance. Men have never had it all and neither will women. Women can not personally observe every important milestone their children experience when they are in a business meeting. (Note, men have been missing these milestones for centuries.)
At all points in life, something gives way for something else. This is not bad it just is.
The following websites offer interesting information:
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