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Feminism equals happiness?

Nobody ever said that it would be the ticket to happiness, rather than it would be the ticket to fairness. That was the ultimate goal. To level the playing field for women when it comes to civil liberties and rights across the board. Have we been successful? Like the author, yes and no. There is still much work to be done yet, but we have come a long way.

In my experience, the "gains" made by feminism have only reduced the percieved value that society places on mothers who choose to and can be full-time homemakers.

Although there is greater fairness in the workplace with more equal pay and opportunities, feminism has inadvertently caused a great deal of unfairness. For example, women are expected to work at a full-time job, come home and be the primary care-giver to children and be the one who does most, if not all of the household work.

How many stay-at-home Moms have been asked such things as "What do you do all day?" or "Don't you want to do something with your life?" When I had my first child I quit my teaching job because I believed nothing was more important than raising my children, as agreed upon when I married.

For nearly 20 years my husband has hounded me to "Get a job and start contributing to the family." Well, I'm renewing my credential, now that my children are grown or nearly, going back to work and divorcing the man. Being a stay-at-home Mom was the greatest,most important job I could do.

living and doing well in Utah takes only a wiggle here and a thrust there. If feminism takes over I might have to think. Thank goodness I can hide out in Zion.

I was born in 1950. My grandmother, born 1890's, spoke of a girl she new as a young woman whose MOTHER was a medical doctor. Brigham Young sent women back East to become medical doctors. When I researched possible occupations for myself for a school assignment in 1962, I wrote reports on anesthesiology, atomic science, and nuclear physics. The male teacher didn't bat an eye; he liked the reports. My mother was pleased with my choices. When I first saw Gloria Steinem, she was wearing a mini-skirt, knee-high high-heeled boots, low-cut blouse over apparently no bra, and bleached streaks in her long hair. As she bounced up and down and ranted about women being treated as sex objects I thought - Huh?!! When she preached about lack of opportunities for women, I wondered from what world she came. Women's progress in this country was naturally evolving based on choices women were making for themselves. I resent the "feminist movement" taking the credit. Most who are writing about such things today weren't alive back then; they depend on slanted writings of feminists to fantasize the world of the 60's.

'No one said it would be easy, just that it would be worth it.'

I think that 'yes' the more you fight to be in corporate America, the more you get the results of it.

Do I think that's good? For some. It's not really a 'yes' or 'no' world.

I think women make 75 cents for every dollar a man makes. Do I think that is fair? No. Do I think woman should go for it, definitely.

With this bad economy woman are getting better jobs, again because, on average, they make less than a man.

It also means they have the job.

I think pay should be fair based on skill. However, to be fair, things have to be equal.

Stay home and raise kids if you want, but please, be able to hold a job.

Notice, that sentence was not gender specific.

Interesting story but I think it missed the point. When Beth said " It's interesting, important stuff, feminism, I'm just not sure why anybody ever believed it was the ticket to happiness" she showed a lack of understanding society as a whole.

I don't think feminism was ever about happiness, it was about the equality of opportunity and choice. Granted some women succeeded before feminism, my grandmother for one graduated from college in 1929 and both worked and stayed at home during her marriage and opened up the minds of her children and those around her.

Still individual cases don't make a society nor do they truly show the obstacles the majority of women had to face. The Bill of Rights was passed in 1790 yet the first case based on it wasn't heard by the supreme court until 1913. It took a long time for the insight of our founding fathers to start sinking in. The same will happen with the feminist movement.

Having choices doesn't make us happy, making choices does unless you want it all. So if you want to stay home, then do it and be happy with the choice.

I think it's silly that people think that we women can only succeed by acting like men. Not just men, but TERRIBLE men. The kind that walk all over people and frighten people into getting what they want in the name of "respect." I find it offensive that there are some women who want handouts because they're women. I'd rather get a job based on my skills, not because I'm a woman and affirmative action made them give it to me.

Things aren't perfect and there are men out there who think women are good for either sex or cleaning the house. BUT I think society has progressed and fewer men actually believe that. But going overboard and fighting motherhood because it's somehow degrading is ridiculous. I don't think I should have to sacrifice my entire personality and life goals and hobbies so that I can change diapers all my life while my husband does things he enjoys. BUT I don't think it's fair to hand baby off to my husband to do it either. There are ways that are balanced and fair. BOTH people must sacrifice to be happy!

Read me to know the Church's position on feminism.

Lorie,

You said, "In my experience, the 'gains' made by feminism have only reduced the percieved (sic) value that society places on mothers who choose to and can be full-time homemakers."

In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, societies cannot afford such provincial selfishness. Women's talents and abilities MUST be expanded to benefit more than just their own, small domestic brood. “Full-time homemaking” is rightfully on its way to becoming an archaic indulgence our society and its future generations can ill-afford. There are far too many well-educated women literally wasting their educations babbling in baby-talk to a few preschoolers rather than contributing to the larger economic prosperity for which they were trained at great expense! Any doctrine that supports such squandering of precious human potential and resources is retrograde and detrimental. The true spirit of “feminism” is about emancipating women from the parasitic role they have heretofore played in our society, and awakening them to not only their potential, but their solemn duty, to contribute more widely and more significantly than ever before! In so doing, women become much more useful to society and, with usefulness, comes purpose, fulfillment, and happiness.

According to Linda Ryder it's more important to leave kids with the day care so they can contribute based on her definition of what's best for society. Meanwhile a generation of daycare kids have proven they can't contribute, have morality and ethics issues, tend to be more lazy, selfish, and weak. Requiring everyone else to support them and provide entitlements to meet their every need. While those who choose to focus first on raising stable strong well taught children who can contribute independently to society are scorned.

People like Linda will never get it and can't see the damage to the world that has come to so much warehousing of our children instead of raising them.

I have three daughters whom I have always encouraged to be well educated, be fully capable of supporting their future families and completely independent from society or a spouse for support. At the same time they have chosen to go after the highest possible calling, that of being a Mom. Like my very smart wife they will choose to stay at home until their kids hit 1st or 2nd grade and then return to out-of-home jobs.

To michaelm,

"a generation of daycare kids have proven they can't contribute, have morality and ethics issues, tend to be more lazy, selfish, and weak."

Do you have proof or support for this assertion? Or shall we just take your expert opinion on the subject? If you make unsupported assertions, that kind of proves that YOUR generation does NOT have the patent on contribution, morality, ethics, etc.

Why are you willing to "warehouse" your children in the 1st or 2nd grade? If being a stay-at-home mom is valuable and sacred, why does that change when children reach the "age for warehousing" YOU have defined?

You write like a typical, arrogant male chauvinist who has not thought things through.

Way to go, Linda! I couldn't have said it better myself!

I was just going to ask michaelm the same question, but Linda Ryder beat me to it.

I would add a point to consider. You hope, michaelm, that your daughters will choose to conduct themselves as you believe to be fit.

You hope that they will choose to be stay at home moms. But the fact is...there is no guarantee that life's circumstances will cooperate with their plans...or yours.

Careful, michaelm...your conceit is showing.

One more point...the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob warned the Nephites about something the Lord considered to be an abomination.

This was prideful arrogance, and the assumption that they had been blessed more than others because they were more righteous than others.

Lorrie...I am sorry to hear of your pending divorce. IMPO...motherhood is phenomenally important...right up there with marriage.

Unless a spouse is physically, emotionally and/or mentally abusive...everybody loses when divorce is the outcome.