I am against feminism. I always have been. While I'm not quite sure what Paul meant when he commanded the wives to submit to their husbands, I know that my independence and will have to be in balance with my husband's.
There are two emotions that bubble up when I think about feminism. First, anger. Anger that with feminism came the belief that being a mother was not an incredible, life-impacting, honorable career worthy of immense respect. I cannot wait to be a mother. It is a position I look forward to, but in feminism, women are made to look down their noses at a woman who chooses to stay home and be the rock-solid foundation of the home. Feminism gives the guise of freedom while enslaving women to the idea that their nurturing nature is despicable, lowly, and in all, simply not good enough.
After anger comes sympathy. I feel for these women that are caught in this trap. These women that are not free to be soft. They must constantly pull more than their own weight to prove their "worth." How exhausting it must be.
Introduction:
"In this work I am not so much debating the validity of the questions that feminists have posed, but rather seeking to evaluate the validity of their answers."
That statement right there is huge. Whether I like it or not, I have in some way become a feminist...at least, compared to women 200, 100, even 50 years before me. The question that birthed feminism is not invalid. That question...the question of what makes a female worthy...that question is so important. Feminism is one answer that the world came up with.
Chapter One:
"Betty Friedan, together with Simone de Beauvior, blamed women's frustrating and purposelessness on society's stereotyped expectation of the role of women. According to these early feminists, society had wrongly named and defined women. Woman's role, not women, were responsible for their unhappiness."
This chapter pretty much summed up the start of the feminist movement, and introduced the main character's involved:
Simone de Beauvior- author of "The Second Sex"
Betty Friedan- author of the "Feminine Mystique"
When I first came to this book, my first emotion when I heard of feminism was anger. After further research, however, I have come to realize that the question women asked was not wrong. The harshness of feminism would not fix the problem that women had, but there truly was a problem. I live in a world that has more freedom than I realize. I am able to make choices, I am able to vote, I am able to go to school, I am able to have a career. Though I want to do what is right and want to be in God's will, I have choices.
I completely disagree with the idea that in order to become whole, women have to put aside the career of housewife and mother. However, there was a problem with the role of woman before feminism hit. The role of women was to be a housewife and mother...and that's it.
Because of the personality I have, I quickly grow restless, frustrated, and even depressed when I lack purpose in my life. I simply cannot go day by day, not feeling like I am impacting the world in some way. So, I can understand how women felt when they were reduced to being identified with only being a wife and mother. Don't get me wrong, being a wife and mother is an incredible thing. I cannot wait to fit into those roles. Those roles are highly worthy, and demand respect for the sacrifice they require. But that is not all a woman is.
We are more than that. God created us with a purpose that is bigger than making our husbands happy through cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children. God created in us a desire to impact the world around us. On a daily basis. We must feel as if our existence matters. We want to know that we are leaving footprints in the sand.
There are times that I think about how quickly my life has gone by. I feel panicked when I look at my parents and grandparents...they were once young, full of dreams. And now the sun is beginning to set. We are but a whisper that gets carried off into the wind. Our lives are short. We have only a small amount of time to impact the world. I don't want to just grow up, get married, have babies, watch my babies grow up, and then slowly feel my life slip away. Again, don't misunderstand me. I dream of one day being a wife and mother. BUT...I am so much more than that. God calls us to more than simply being. And that's the stereotype women faced.
