ARE WE THERE YET?
Over a substantial period of time, women have defied various principles set in place in order for their rights to be equal to that of men. Throughout decades women’s achievements have accumulated and surpassed the expectations that were current during their time. This resulted in a drastic change in the mindset of women, men, and most important, the societal norms and government regulations.
Even after women’s substantial growth, some still question if women have achieved full equality in comparison to men. Since 1963, women’s issues have run rampant within government, beginning with equal pay and opportunity within the work force. Although Women’s Issues have always been a part of government, Obama’s focus on Women’s Issues has led to more women speaking out against various uncertainties within government and business, along side every day life.
Although the Women’s Movement was very powerful in altering the minds of many prominent people during its time, many critics say that the movement did not do its job. Karen Nussabaum, an activist and founder of 9to5, a labor organization for female clerical workers, has expressed her concern with the movement’s priorities. She now works with women who are single mothers and have difficulty working a 9 to 5 job while also taking care of their children with little help. Nussabaum feels that instead of focusing on economic issues, the movement should have focused more on creating alternatives that worked for most working women. The alternative would have included childcare, community services, and after school care. The lack of these necessities have lead to some women not receiving the same benefits that many men receive including options such as a full work day.
In relation to the belief that women need to gain more equality, Sheryl Sandberg, former Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google and current Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, has begun to “spark” the Women’s Movement. She argues that there are significantly less women that hold executive positions as it relates to men. She calls this a “Stall in the Women’s Movement”. Many women like Sheryl Sandberg see the drastic difference in the number of women vs. men in high-ranking positions. For example, Miss Representation, an organization that promotes women to take part in high-ranking occupations, while also calling attention to the demeaning and unrealistic advertisements of women portrayed in the media.
Women who counter the idea that women need more power in society have found comfort in the structure that the women before them have built. Most women have recognized hurdles that have been overcome and are satisfied working in the confines of these structures. Arguing that, women who believe that all women should have more power are simply thinking unrealistically. During a discussion with a wife who is also a full time student, she explained that although she enjoyed the movement and everything it was doing for women, she would not want to take part in doing her “husband’s jobs” such as washing the car or taking out the trash.
Even with these differentiating ideas, the majority of women are still taking the initiative to work with young girls and women in order for them to recognize their full potential. Additionally, these women give them the tools to fulfill their own ideals in relation to occupation, with an emphasis placed on politics and government. An example of this is Miss Representation, which encourages more young women to run in Presidential Elections or enter a high standing occupation such as a Lawyer, rather than what “society expects of them”.
As a young woman and fulltime student, I believe that although the women before us have come a long way in the push for equal rights, we still have a long way to go. Women in our society are still slipping through the cracks and it has been unaccounted for. While speaking with another student on campus, she expressed that until there is a female Pope she cannot see true equality resonate. It is statements such as these that put a true emphasis on the realization that, yes many women may be comfortable in the way they are living, but we must work as one to fulfill the dreams of all women if it is a matter of equality that provides a boundary.
So the question is are women satisfied with what they have already accomplished? Or as demonstrated by women like Sheryl Sandberg and Miss Representation, are women still afraid to act in order to fulfill complete equality between the sexes?
