The Feminist Movement

This requires the preface of I have nothing against the feminist movement. I am incredibly glad it happened. I appreciate the fact that decades ago women fought for rights that I now take for granted. At the same time, I have some problems with the modern manifestations of feminism.

The feminist movement began as a search for political equality between men and women. Since then it has taken on a momentum completely its own. Women fought for the right to choose. They wanted the ability to choose their husbands, their lives, their careers. They wanted to choose to have children or not. We have those rights now. Women can choose to not marry, not to have children, to simply have high powered careers. Women fought so hard for the right to choose. Now that we have it, why is that we are belittled for it?

Women who choose to have careers and never marry are applauded and I am one the women applauding them. It takes a great deal of determination and heart to create any career and I'm glad that they've been able to do that. If they choose to also have a family, that's also considered a good decision. Single mothers are heralded for being forward and being able to live without a man in their life. And I agree with that. The part I have a problem with is the judgement of women who want to have a man in their life. Who want to get married, stay home and have children. Why is that a problem? Why are we considered less than whole if we don't whole heartedly desire a career of our own? Why can't we just be who we were meant to be?

When women fought so many years ago for the right to choose, they gave us the right to choose. That ability gives us the right to choose either way. We can be mothers, career women, or both. Or neither. The right to choose means we get to choose. Not have our choices made for us.

The other problem I have with the feminist movement is many women seem to think being equal to men means becoming just like men. It doesn't. We're not men. Why should we have to try and become like them? We are incredible and unique just as we were created to be. Men and women are different. For us to be equals does not mean we have to be the same. We still get to be women.