Is Feminism Going Too Far?

mecca

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Some men have extremes views on this. When I was younger, my father used to tell me that everything women did like cooking or cleaning or sewing, when men did do the same work, they always did a better job. He would say that men would even make better chef's, housekeepers, and seamstresses than women as though working were only a way to entertain the simple mind of a woman. Maybe this is why I am the way I am and feel a little rebellious toward the idea that I have to do something different than women have classically done in order to be recognized and respected fairly for my work.
Wow, that's pretty messed up for him to say, especially to his daughter.
 

Devine

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Feminism started because females were second class citizens and had almost no rights. The goal has always been equality and fair treatment, they're not saying females are the same as men, but that females are just as good as men.
i just feel like the vibe went from "we deserve the same" to "we are the same"
 

Devine

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Feminism and femininity are not mutually exclusive. In fact I cringe when women try to ape men, because to me that isn't feminism, because trying to be like men it is a failure to recognise the value of women. We should be able to enjoy the differences between the sexes while working towards a fairer society.
well put!
 

Devine

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  • Women couldn't get a credit card. They had to be married and have their husbands sign for them or something.
  • They weren't accepted into certain high performing schools.
  • They couldn't serve in a jury.
  • Pay gap
  • head and master laws
  • unwelcome in professional programs (weren't allowed to get certain jobs)
  • couldn't join the military
There are more than that but there's a small list.
wow the jury one is crazy! really in the 60's?
 

Devine

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Thank you Mecca. He was a very, very sexist man. It really is messed up, but it is also one of the reasons that I can see that the world has changed a whole lot too. So I am grateful for this.
did he ever evolve his opinions?
 

rainerann

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  • Women couldn't get a credit card. They had to be married and have their husbands sign for them or something.
  • They weren't accepted into certain high performing schools.
  • They couldn't serve in a jury.
  • Pay gap
  • head and master laws
  • unwelcome in professional programs (weren't allowed to get certain jobs)
  • couldn't join the military
There are more than that but there's a small list.
The idea of having to have a husband to get a credit card makes me feel nauseous.
 

rainerann

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I also want to add that women have the opportunity to work because they no longer have to sew clothes for their families as well. I remember reading in all the Little House on the Prairie type books when I was little that whenever someone went to town, they would always come back with fabric. The fabric would be used to make the little girl a new dress.

However, now there is a whole ready to wear fashion industry and you can go and buy clothes from a store. My mother and grandmother learned to sew very well. My mother was excellent even, and she used me make me Halloween costumes when I was little. Although, I remember her explaining to me that it was more affordable for her to buy clothes at the store because of the time it would take her to make them herself in the late 80's. So my clothes started coming from the store, which didn't have anything to do with my mother's skill. She was fantastic. As a mother myself, I do try to be an informed consumer because I also don't want someone to suffer in another country making clothes, which is what was starting to happen at the same time, as the clothing industry was being outsourced.

Nevertheless, women no longer have the responsibility of sewing for their family, washing clothes by hand, washing dishes by hand so it reasonable to see the change that started taking place before women decided they wanted to join the workforce in 1970's. The workload for women as a housewife has changed in many ways. Therefore, it is an uniformed conclusion that women in the workforce is an example of feminism that has been taken too far.
 

Lisa

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I agree. For example, if I were to say that I like to crochet for example, I feel like most people would think this were just like something cute or whatever; but, in some way, this would somehow be demonstrating that women were somehow childish or less intelligent that they are inclined to enjoy activities like crochet.

However, crochet is actually very difficult mathematically. You have a stitch that creates a repeating pattern that requires 8 stitches. So you create a foundation chain in a multiple of eight in order to create the sequence. That's great. Simple enough because 8 times 8 is 64, so you need 64 stitches to create the pattern where you will not end up with remaining stitches that will hang out and look odd.

But, what if you want to combine that stitch pattern with a stitch pattern that needs 11 foundation stitches to create the pattern. How many multiples of 8 would need so that if you combined the two stitches together into one project, it will be even. Let's say you do this and you make a blanket that is 66 by 90 inches and you want to create a border. The stitch count for the border requires 3 foundation stitches to create the repeating pattern. How many foundation stitches do you need in order to create a border around the perimeter of the blanket?

Most fiber arts like knitting and crochet has been like this for hundreds and hundreds of years. Clothes are more difficult because you have change stitch counts and reduce in places to shape the garment to the body. However, it is often seen as simple and requiring little intelligence because it is done by women.

Historically, is there any real difference between a seamstress and a carpenter except one is done by a woman and the other is done by a man. Attitudes like this remain in society and I hear them every time someone tries to make the argument that women should enter fields that are compensated more as though that were the problem. That is not the problem. The problem is that the work that women has always done is still considered to require less intelligence than the work a man is required to do.

Some men have extremes views on this. When I was younger, my father used to tell me that everything women did like cooking or cleaning or sewing, when men did do the same work, they always did a better job. He would say that men would even make better chef's, housekeepers, and seamstresses than women as though working were only a way to entertain the simple mind of a woman. Maybe this is why I am the way I am and feel a little rebellious toward the idea that I have to do something different than women have classically done in order to be recognized and respected fairly for my work.
Maybe this is the reason I can only crochet blankets?

Your dad had interesting views. My dad thought the women work inside and the men outside. I didn't mind it except when I was the only one to clean the house.
 

rainerann

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Maybe this is the reason I can only crochet blankets?

Your dad had interesting views. My dad thought the women work inside and the men outside. I didn't mind it except when I was the only one to clean the house.
And the reason we share patterns. Creating patterns is very difficult. If you found a way to do something once, you wouldn't want to forget it and have to start from scratch.
 

Lisa

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And the reason we share patterns. Creating patterns is very difficult. If you found a way to do something once, you wouldn't want to forget it and have to start from scratch.
O, I took one class and was gonna go back for more but I only really learned enough to make blankets. But they are kind of boring since I only know the one stitch too...
 

rainerann

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O, I took one class and was gonna go back for more but I only really learned enough to make blankets. But they are kind of boring since I only know the one stitch too...
There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube if you wanted to learn more. That is actually how I learned. YouTube is amazing.
 

Lisa

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There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube if you wanted to learn more. That is actually how I learned. YouTube is amazing.
No kidding? I actually never thought of that, that's how my husband learns to do things too...it is pretty neat!
 

mecca

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Maybe this is the reason I can only crochet blankets?
And the reason we share patterns. Creating patterns is very difficult. If you found a way to do something once, you wouldn't want to forget it and have to start from scratch.
No offense but I hate crocheting, it takes way too long and it's boring... I guess I do see how some people could like it though.
 
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