OPINION
Freedom for women means making choices
pWMr^'
General
License
I
Stepfume Sisson
I try to stay away from worn
on's issues.
Thero uro loo many fomalo
journalists who can't scorn to
forgot thoy'ro women long
enough to tuke a stand on any
thing else
However, this year is sup
posed to be the "Year of the
Woman.” So, just out of curios
ity, I asked some of my friends
to define the role of women in
Uxluy's society.
In the 1990s, what does it
mean to be a woman?
It means that if a man makes
unwanted sexual advances to
ward you. you can accuse this
man of sexual harassment and
be believed, even if this man is
a U S. senator.
It also means a hypersensi
tive woman in the 1990s often
confuses respect with chauvin
ism Women are encouraged to
be outraged by "negative" treat
ment by males, such as having
doors held open for them or ixv
ing called "ladies."
If you are a woman in the
1990s, you can choose the ca
reer you wish to pursue, and
you have a good chance of get
ting a job based on your ability
rather than your gender.
it also means you will proba
bly he paid less than a male in
your position. Although you've
come a long way. baby, you
still have a longer way to go on
the pay scale.
In the pursuit of your aimer,
as a woman in the 1990s, you
have the option of waiting to
settle down and begin u family
until it's convenient to do so.
It also means that you, as a
young woman in the 1990s,
hear society tolling you to put
your career before everything
else, including marriage and
children.
Thirty year* ago. women
were encouraged to put their
families first and discard goals
that did not include their hus
bands Today the pendulum
has swung the other way As
men are beginning to take on
domestic responsibilities, you.
as a woman, are being pres
sured to strive for promotion
and put dreams of a family on
the back burner
As a woman in the 1970s and
1980*. you could run for public
office. As a woman In the
1990s, you can win You can
do this now because sometimes
you are the best candidate for
the position
It also means that a woman
in the 19<M)s can lie elected gov
ernor She can do an average
job of running the stale, but she
will be criticized more than a
man because there are still vot
ers who believe that women are
less intelligent than men
fining a woman in 1990s
means that you, unlike women
30 years ago. aren't looking for
Mr Right, but if you think
you've found him. you don't
have to wait for him to call
you You c an call him
it also means you have more
sexual freedom. Sex outside of
marriage, society says, isn'l as
wrong now as it was 30 years
ago
However, there is still a dou
ble standard. Men who engage
in sex with many partners part
ners are culled studs Women
who do She same are called
sluts
Doing a woman in the 1990s
also means if you are a victim
n! a violent act such as rape,
you can refuse lo feel guilty
about the assault, and you can
demand justice
This does not mean you'll gel
justice. Hut it is true women re
ceive more encouragement now
As men are
beginning to take
on domestic
responsibilities,
you, as a woman,
are being
pressured to strive
for promotion and
put dreams of a
family on the back
burner.
lo report rape* Tin* shame at
lachod to rape Victims has <ie
( reused from what it was 10
years ago
Hemg a woman In the 1900s
means you have the legal rigtil
to make choices about your
own body You now have the
option of terminating a preg
nancy in a hospital by a quali
fied doctor Dangerous, illegal
abortions are becoming a horror
of the past
It also means that you. as a
woman, now (tear the awesome
responsibility of deciding
whether to terminate your
child's life
As a woman in the lU’Hls.
you have a voire You, as a
woman today, can choose to
take a stand against pomogra
phv on the grounds that por
nographv exploits women You
cun fight against advertising
that ustrs images of women to
sell products You can use your
growing strength and influence
as a woman to oppose topless
bars like hggles and Lollipops.
You cun also defend your
right to earn a living with your
body in a topless liar Society
used to look down on women
who danced in bars oven if
these women wore single and
had no one to rtdy on for finun
rial support Women were
taught to "get a husband" in or
tier to be sncurr
Now you, as a woman in the
1‘i'MK. are dependent upon
yourself for finances You don't
believe in the knight on the
while horse anv more You are
ex per ted to earn vour own liv
ing, and it that means dancing
in a bar. you are willing to
speak out lor the right to do so
Being .1 woman in the t'lotis
means you have opportunities
now that women in the past
have not had
It also means if you are to ful
fill society's definition of to
day's woman, you -ire forced to
try to make up for the last mil
lion years of oppression by in
coming tile opposite ol the gen
eration of women before you
Miirh of feminism today is a
lie The feminisi movement has
lost its original purpose of pro
vidtng women with a choice,
whereas women to years ago
were told to play a domestical
ed role in society, women to
day are expected to play an ill
dependent, aggressive rule
As women striving lor erpuili
tv. we've iiai ked ourselves into
a corner II we < house not to
pursue a career, and if we
chouse to put our families lx
fore ourselves, we are accused
of hindering progress
My point is that even though
women today have more
< hoices. we are still pressured
bv society to follow one path
As women in the lUUOs. vs e
can lx- dix tors, politicians, law
yers and construction workers
if we want
And as women in the l9U0s
wtio aren't afraid to think lor
ourselves, we can choose to fie
wives and mothers first, if tliat
is what we really want
Stoph.mio .Sisson writes a
monthly column lor the laner
aid.
:blue
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