Addendum?

To yesterday's post. I've been thinking about it more and reading the comments that people keep posting on SAHG's post and, for the most part, they seem to be of two camps: the anti-feminist antagonists and the people who say they're feminists but really don't seem to be aware of what feminism entails. If both of these camps saw feminism the way I see it we'd all be better off and EVERYONE would be a feminist because it benefits everyone. Because all people quite literally biologically come from women it's important to realize that equality of the sexes is not just an issue for women.

It is important, for example, to allow access to safe abortions because women who do not want to carry their child to term will find ways to get an abortion any way they can. Women need strong health and social support systems so that if they do choose to have children in the future, those children will grow up to be responsible and compassionate people. Our upbringing and, ultimately, our outlook as adults is directly related to the care, respect and support our mothers receive before and while they raise us.

I know I'm reading really far into it, but I think it helps to see the stay-at-home-girlfriend as a post-feminist dare to critique the current state of our gender equality (or lack thereof). It's not hard to see that we still don't live in an equal society. Every time I turn on the TV I see gender stereotypes in ads. People seem to forget there is still a large wage gap between men and women doing the same work in some industries. For example, I realize the data is a bit old now, but the Centre for Gender Studies at Radford University ranks Canadian women 27th in the world in economic opportunity (defined on their website). That's behind China, Slovenia, and Russia.

We are NOT in a post-feminist society. It's time to remind ourselves what feminism is about: caring for each other equally. It's not about refusing to ever cook for your boyfriend even if you love cooking, or about laying down and letting him fuck you whenever he feels like it. It's about finding the middle ground where you're each giving and taking equally. Where women and men treat themselves and each other with respect and love. I hope we will ever be post- that.