What is was like...
Immediately after reading “A Day Without Feminism� from Manifesta, I went to the beginning to make sure that I had read the year these women were born correctly. I couldn’t believe when I saw that they were born in 1970, and these injustices had happened less then 40 years ago. This means that some of our mothers, and grandmothers experienced them. This was unsettling.
After reading the closing statement of the passage, “Has feminism changed out lives? Was it necessary? After thirty years of feminism, the world we inhabit barely resembles the world we were born into. And there is still a lot left to do,� (Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, pg 9) I am grateful that I am living now and not thirty years ago, but I am also angered that women were oppressed for such a long part of our history. Reading this article showed me how far women’s rights have come since the 1970’s.
Something that struck me was how women were treated in the medical world. I felt sick to my stomach when I read, “If the women goes under the knife to see if she has breast cancer, the surgeon won’t wake her up to consult about her options before performing a Halsted mastectomy…She’ll just wake up and find that the choice has been made for her.� (Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, pg 8-9). This seems so unethical and wrong.
This article showed me that feminism is something that is very powerful and productive. When a group of people unite, they can accomplish great things. I believe that the roles and forms of feminism have shifted since the 1970’s. Back in the 70’s there were so many basic things that women were denied: certain jobs, fair pay, safe birth control, and more. The women back in these days were working to get basic rights. Now I think that feminism is still women trying to get equal rights, but the movement has shifted a bit. The role of feminism now is to get women equality with men, but in those areas that aren’t so obvious. For instance, an issue of feminism today might be trying to get equal number of women and male math professors in a university.
The forms of feminism have also changed. There used to be protests that would go on so long that there would be women getting arrested. These protests would be a popular topic for the press. I’m sure that there are still women’s protests now, but I never really hear about them. It seems the feminist movement today is more formal.
This article is one that I think lots of people can relate to. We all have someone that we know who experience these injustices. I am so grateful for the women’s movement so that we don’t have to live like they did. There is still a long way to go, but this article was great in making me realize how far we have come already.
Comments
I really liked that you brought up the quote on how women wouldn't have a say in a mastectomy; that it would just be chosen for them. Another chord that struck me in a shocking way was how girls who "got themselves pregnant" were removed from the Honors Society. That one really killed me because the man who was just as "guilty"(for lack of a better word) got off-no pun intended- scott free. And, the fact that that rule still applies today was what really threw me.
Anyway, thanks for the post. I really enjoyed that article, and it didn't really occure to me that present protests haven't been as passionate as previous ones. For some reason, that didn't crosse my mind. That part helped me write a little of my own in a way, so thanks!
Posted by: Mikaela | January 26, 2007 8:03 PM
I completely agree with having to look twice at the date that these injustices were happening. I realized that in the past women had a lot more struggles to face than women today but it's crazy to me, like you said, that my mother dealt with these issues everyday! Your last paragraph also summed up exactly what I was thinking when I finished the article- it's easy to forget how far we've come until you see what life was like before.
Posted by: Kirsten | January 28, 2007 3:32 PM