Yes, finally a chick who gets it! No one is stopping us from going into the fields of Math and Science, fewer of us choose that path, just like fewer men choose Design, Nursing, and Education. Women can do whatever the hell we want, it’s men that have more limitations. More men CHOOSE to become doctors, scientists, engineers, etc. Wake up, it’s 2009, not 1974. We’ve come a long way since then. </p>
<p>Men are judged physically, too. Short, scrawny men have it bad. I’m a petite asian chick which is fine, but small asian guys often have trouble getting girls. If I was the male equivalent of myself, I’d have it rough when it comes to dating. </p>
<p>Leah: I would guess a guy getting ready for the interview would shave, maybe get a haircut, put on nice clothes, nice shoes, and a tie. Not such a huge difference.
Well, no woman has ran for president for a major political party. But I agree, sexism is alive and well in Politics and is still a big problem here.
Women are free to become all of those things. We are free to apply to Law school, Med school, Grad school, get an MBA, etc. Fewer of us CHOOSE to do so. Not me, maybe not you. But this too is changing. More of us are graduating HS and College, going into Grad school.</p>
<p>i got the job, but what about the girl i talked to in the waiting area who’d had serving experience (i hadn’t) but wasn’t exactly as “polished,” if you will? turned out she didn’t become one of my coworkers–shocking.
the male job applicants certainly didn’t have to worry about this.</p>
Uh…maybe because no female equivalent of Barack Obama has entered the political scene. Maybe because George H.W. Bush had a son, rather than a daughter. Hillary Clinton came pretty damn close, and to argue that she lost to Obama simply because she’s a woman is incredibly ignorant.</p>
<p>
I haven’t met many female who are interested in politics. When I start hearing of “female poly sci majors”, then we’ll talk.</p>
<p>
Ever think that more men aim for those professions? Honestly, if a woman doesn’t choose to pursue some career, that’s her own damn fault. If Hillary could come that close to becoming president, and if Palin could come that close to being Vice President, and considering that we’ve already had a female Secretary of State, to imply that “the man” is trying to keep you from being a veterinarian is rather silly.</p>
<p>As for more men holding top positions, remember this saying:</p>
<p>“If the man is the head of the household, the woman is the neck.”</p>
<p>Subordination creates opportunities for coercion and other subtle forms of oppression. No one is arguing that all men in positions of power are sexist.</p>
<p>Yawn, I NEVER said that she lost to Obama because she was a woman. I think she realized that Obama had a better chance, and she was certainly right. To say that people were ready for a female President is ignorant.</p>
<p>I think more men ain for those professions, but I also think that women are just recently beginning to aim for those professions. And why? Because, until VERY recently, it was unheard of. Check out a book for children from the early '90s, even–the male always plays doctor and the woman always plays nurse. Who ever said a man was trying to keep me from becoming a Vet? I certainly didn’t, so you’re putting words in my mouth…</p>
<p>We’ve now had three: Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and now Hillary Clinton. But you better believe there was backlash for every single one–partially, because all were female. One has to admit that.</p>
<p>Men have fewer options but more opportunity to advance by exercising those options.</p>
<p>A woman can become a CEO, Doctor, etc. if she adopts a career centred lifestyle. If she takes a few years off from work to nurture her children, this puts her behind on the career ladder and there is no reasonably achieveable path to the highest levels. People, both men and women, who did not care for children get and stay ahead of her.</p>
<p>We have created a society where the smartest and most capable women are discouraged from reproducing.</p>
<p>Blair and Leah, I appreciate a lot of the things you guys are saying, but you have to admit things are different for us 21st century women. We watched the historic election, grew up watching Rice, Albright, Clinton, Palin (hate her, but she has a vagina and she’s powerful). We grew up watching TV shows where women are doctors and crime-fighters side by side with men. Many of our moms worked out of the home as well. Sexism will always exist, but intelligent, dedicated 21st century women can do anything we set our minds to, we’re free to do so. And more of us are graduating with Bachelor’s degrees and going to Grad school - 50 years from now, the workplace demographics will be different, you’ll see.</p>
<p>BigG brings up a good point, childbirth slows us down, but what can we do? The fact is, people who work more generally get ahead, and if women take off 5 years, that’s gonna make a dent in the career. Sure we get maternal leave, but it’s only fair that people who work more should earn more (regardless of gender). Taking off years of work, generally around age 28-37, is gonna make a difference.</p>
<p>You are right. But you are also right about “50 years from now.” Women have had to work for what men have had all along. And I don’t blame current men. I blame those who continue to perpetuate the stereotypes, the lies, and the ignorance. Both men and women are at fault, to some degree.</p>
<p>But that’s how women were oppressed and could still be oppressed. Because we are working for something that should come easy.</p>
Yeah…so why use the fact that Hillary didn’t win as “evidence” of sexism? And we’re discussing the present, not the past, so elections from the past are moot.</p>
<p>
To say that people weren’t ready for a female President is ignorant.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Considering the racial makeup of this country, it’s disingenuous to imply that people were less ready for a white female president than a black male president.</p></li>
<li><p>50% of the American population is female. If they aren’t “ready” for a female president, that’s their own damn fault.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
And men are more responsible than women for that…how?</p>
<p>
Nowadays, a woman can be a doctor or a nurse. A man can’t be a nurse without someone sneering. Oh meh gawd, looks like we got to organize a masculinist coalition.</p>
<p>Notice that “masculinist” isn’t even a word. There’s not even a word for the concept of protecting men’s rights.</p>