Be Careful What You Wish For. You May Just Get It!

            The article Blame it on Feminism questions the theory that women are not better off despite the success of the women’s movement which has made great strides and yet made women no happier. Yes, while improvements have been made without a doubt since let us say Victorian times, women still have a long way to go. This is because women are still the minority in the ladder of success in any field and though fifty percent of the world’s population is women, the other half still holds the majority of power. Men who believe they created women from the rib of Adam, still give minorities a token gesture towards equality. So while America has seen its first African American president hailing change. Hillary Clinton was reduced to making speeches on, how there were at least cracks on the glass ceiling, and Sarah Palin was reduced to defending her accent and fashion sense. The fact is that despite a few success stories average women still make less than their male counterparts and lower level jobs such as receptionists and secretaries are still seen as female domain. The point is women are still considered as being tied to the kitchen sink despite their success stories and still expected to keep on their traditional roles as mother and homemaker while holding down demanding jobs. Men are not expected to or expect to part of this and still expect a hot meal after a days work. The idea of the superwoman is further enhanced by ads that show women juggling work and home with ease adding to women’s woes.

            Of course the idea that career women have missed the boat in terms of husband and child bearing adds to women’s miseries. Men who do not fight a biological clock and who are portrayed as distinguished as they age face none of these concerns. However, on the positive front women are in more control of their bodies and with the advent of IVF treatments and egg freezing they are able to concentrate on their careers and put childbirth on the backburner till a much later date. The backlash of this is still the stigma and labels that society assigns to women of a certain age who are still single, which just adds to the pressure in a viscous cycle, until women are back to where they started from. But the question remains is, are these pressures brought upon women themselves or by men? Are women paying for the price of their success or have they still to taste true victory? Can women have it all, or can you never have your cake and eat it too. After all while women make demands of equality and equal rights they still expect men to hold the door open for them and pay for dinner. Little girls still dream of their perfect wedding as they play with their Barbie dolls and never about their dream jobs. They dream about their dream home but not their dream office. Women have made strides in liberation but they cannot be truly free until they themselves let go of some notions holding them back along with the support of men otherwise they will need to be careful what they wish for they may just get it!