International Woman’s Day

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!

I am “young enough” to remember lots of things from the ‘70’s; women were burning their bras, singing that powerful Helen Reddy anthem and cheering Gloria Steinem on. I thought we should take a look at where we are on this special day.

I Am Woman, was a number one hit in 1971 and everybody was singing it. It would make Helen Reddy a household name. The lyrics still ring true today as I notice just how many states have not adopted the equal rights amendment (waiting on the 35th I think?) Are we there yet and what’s the proof?

After all the marches, the Me Too era and a woman making it to the Presidential election twice, have we really broken the glass ceiling? Where have we actually made gains, lost ground and what do we still need to do?

WOMAN’S SUFFRAGE

It will be the 100 year anniversary NEXT year of the passing of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote! That is an incredible teeny tiny amount of time.

Do you know how long it took to get there? It all started in 1848! A meeting was called in New York that ended with a Declaration of Sentiments signed by 68 women and 32 men. It outlined 12 resolutions calling for the equal treatment of men and women under the law and asking for the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell would become well known for pushing the fight forward.

WHEN DO WE GET TO VOTE?

States such as California, Colorado, Utah and Idaho were the first to allow women to vote in 1893 but it would be another 27 years before ALL would be required to do so. Really?

This work was recognized as the beginning of the modern Woman’s Movement from an equal rights and a sexual standpoint. Margaret Sanger would rise to notoriety by opening the first women’s birth control clinic in 1916, only to be arrested and have it close ten days later.

She would not be allowed to open another one until 1923. Women have always realized that being in charge of their own bodies and deciding when they have babies makes a huge difference in their lives. Men will never quite understand this the same way because they don’t give birth, have never had to be the ones to consider birth control or the consequences of the lack there of.

PATRIARCHAL SOCIETIES ARE NOT GOOD FOR WOMEN

Yes, our country has been steeped in a patriarchal society that gave preference to men in every category regardless of the education of it’s women. Our traditional marriage vows show just how much by asking “who gives this woman away” basically (and hey, let’s change her last name to his while we are at it)!

Not much different than slaves were looked at from a property standpoint; to be done with as a man desired (I am not likening it to being sold into slavery, the same suffering or anything else so please don’t be sending hate comments my way OK?)

I just make the point that everywhere that patriarchal societies exist the story of women is not always good. If even allowed to work outside the home, they are paid less for that job than a man. They aren’t allowed to drive, vote or go out without covering a fair portion of themselves in many Shia and Sunni countries.

They aren’t allowed to attend school or have modern menstruation products in a whole host of places. They are beaten and used as sexual slaves in more countries than you want to think about. They are given away as children to adults in arranged marriages for money still to this day.

THE ABORTION ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

I call it that because of the flags that most people run up their poles who are against it without ever addressing the other set of facts. The facts that make their arguments bogus at best.

“Abortion is murder” (usually uttered by people who just happen to also believe in the death penalty).

“Somebody would adopt that child” (usually uttered by someone who is not familiar with adoption statistics around the world; tons of unwanted children stay in the system or are moved around from foster home to foster home until released with no higher education at age 18).

“What kind of person gets rid of a child just because something’s wrong with it” (The kind that does their homework and talks to people who actually have a child with special needs in a country that doesn’t guarantee healthcare or social programs to support their possible lifelong requirements?).

“At the very least, they shouldn’t be allowed to get an abortion after the first trimester” (I’m sorry… woefully ignorant of why late term abortions occur; because the tests for certain things don’t show up problems until the fifth or sixth month instead of the second or third).

“A fetus is a person and has a right to be born-it is in the bible” (uhhh…no…it isn’t…Jesus makes no statements about this subject at all). I may not be able to give you a set definition of infanticide but I know it when I see it. The law recognizes categories and intent under almost every circumstance-why should this be any different?

WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY DO WE WANT?

The kind that supports women in their efforts and struggles to be considered equal in all areas of life?

The kind that recognizes women for doing the same work and pays them the same wage as the man earner?

The kind that says women are valued in society just like men; not for what they look like, what they wear, how much they weigh, how old they are or what they choose to do or not?

The kind that says girl children should not be given away, sold, made to marry or give birth, sexualized, abused, left uneducated, in poverty, with no hope or told they can’t be whatever they want to be?

The kind that has compassion and understanding for why women may make the unbearable choice when it comes to abortion and allow them the privacy to decide what’s best for their own families?

HOW THINGS WORKED IN MY FAMILY

We had five girls in my family. We were raised to see both sides of an argument but to land squarely on the side of facts with logic, compassion and empathy; not always an easy choice. We were raised to be strong, allowed to have an opinion and to never put up with abuse of any kind.

My Dad taught Sunday School and was always conspicuously absent when it came time to teach the abortion lesson. He said raising five girls had taught him to see things differently. It should have; it is different from raising boys and he had one of those too. Boys need to be taught how to respect, value and support the women in their lives; never abusing or treating them as less than for any reason.

SO WHERE ARE WE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMAN’S DAY?

Not where we should be by any means. There are places in Europe doing much better than we are. They at least understand the need for healthcare and social policies that support families. They have also voted women into the highest jobs of leadership repeatedly, unlike us.

We still don’t have the equal rights amendment passed in 15 states. We still aren’t paying women the same wage for the same job. We are loading up the courts with hand picked judges who will slowly erode Roe vs Wade which will always affect women of lesser means than women with money.

A lot of younger women don’t know what it was like before Roe vs Wade. They take it for granted. Should it disappear, the time birth control fails, a rape occurs, or a disease is discovered late in pregnancy will cause many to sit up and take notice of the loss of something important.

So what’s the answer? We just keep fighting. Not just for ourselves but for women everywhere. We demand to be listened to and to having a seat at the table of power. We learn to play the smarter game; because we have always had to in order to win anything.

Hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore! What do you think? Hey, don’t be a stranger and let me hear your thoughts on the subject. You might want to read other blogs in the Just Because category and don’t miss my next blog in the Merida, Mexico series either! Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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