Feminism for this generation

Independent. Powerful. Innovative. Strong. Assertive.

I bet you pictured a tall, physically fit man while reading those words.

However, that list I created was meant to emphasize characteristics I see within myself, the “feminist,” as my brother would say.

I’m not suggesting women have not made immense progress throughout
history.

After all, at least women in the 21st century are not doomed to the “rest cure” every time they feel a bit stressed.

I have to admit, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” definitely made me appreciate the progress women have made in proving that females can be just as strong and psychologically capable as males.

However, there still exists more headway to be made.

Instead of the tangible female-directed discrimination of the 20th century, a less discernible and sometimes subconscious bias against women continues to permeate our society.

Rather than being viewed as “weak,” women are simply viewed as
“weaker.”

Recently, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made the announcement that the Obama administration would allow female soldiers to participate in positions likely to expose them more directly to fighting with enemy ground forces.

I immediately supported this decision, but many others remain skeptical.

This controversial argument about whether women should be allowed in combat may be an interesting current issue. But what truly worries me is the lack of resolve within the young female generation of today.

While discussing the idea of women in combat during class, one of my peers said she does not think women enlisted in the military should fight.

She went on to make the claim that combat is a man’s duty.

For the sake of my classmates, I decided not to start a lengthy argument, but I wondered if she would have said the same thing about suffrage.

Probably not.

Just as it is our privilege to vote in this country, it is our duty to fight for this country, no matter what our gender.

Even more disturbing was the young woman who admitted that she “wasn’t fit for the working world.”

As a result, her mother had decided she should simply find a successful man to marry.
Am I the only one who finds this desire a bit old-fashioned?

It is one thing to harbor a passion for becoming a mother and starting a family, but it is a whole different story when an individual’s perceived “lack of ability” bars the possibility of participating in the world of employment.

Perhaps we could learn a lesson from Betty Friedan’s 1963 book, “The Feminine Mystique.”

In it, Friedan argues women must achieve what she calls “their full human capacities,” despite any current obstacles.

These obstacles include striving for equal pay in the workplace, a shift away from the sexual objectification of women, equal opportunities regarding women’s sports and combating any other inequalities.

Friedan said these are all injustices that may prevent women from reaching what she deems full human potential.

Young women need to wake up. Young women need to stand up.

Young women need to realize that they hold the responsibility to represent the future of progress.

It’s time to embrace a little feminism and realize that there is still some improvement to be made.

­— kfasone@indiana.edu