Sororities and Feminism

[Titchou]

Hey, hey, ladies. No spats. THis is an interesting thread and I don't think we want to have it shut down.

The term "feminism" has a bad connotation for some people. I don't think of it negatively but some people see bra burners, Gloria Steinam, etc when they hear the word. But then I thought Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a little conservative back in the day. So some people don't want that term used to describe them - though if they knew the definition, they would support it.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Hey, hey, ladies. No spats. THis is an interesting thread and I don't think we want to have it shut down.

The term "feminism" has a bad connotation for some people. I don't think of it negatively but some people see bra burners, Gloria Steinam, etc when they hear the word. But then I thought Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a little conservative back in the day. So some people don't want that term used to describe them - though if they knew the definition, they would support it.

My point exactly. Feminism isn't a bad thing. People have tried to turn into something ugly when it isn't. Sometimes before you say you are or aren't something, you need to define it. IF after defining it, you STILL aren't a feminist, fine.

[HQWest]

Webster's defines feminism as either
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

Obviously, the confusion comes when one confuses the feminist ideal with a particular political movement. Much the same as one could be a Republican but not agree with the entire party platform.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by HQWest

Webster's defines feminism as either
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

Obviously, the confusion comes when one confuses the feminist ideal with a particular political movement. Much the same as one could be a Republican but not agree with the entire party platform.

And, there are those who truly believe the sexes are not equal. I know my SIL probably would fall into this group as a believer in patriarchy. There aren't that many women that fall into that group, though.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by HQWest

Webster's defines feminism as either
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

Obviously, the confusion comes when one confuses the feminist ideal with a particular political movement. Much the same as one could be a Republican but not agree with the entire party platform.

This is how I think of feminism and I'm always confused about how a woman who has gone to college, held a job in an underrepresented field, owned property, or voted in an election can say they are not a feminist. Without feminism, none of those things would have been possible.

The feminist movement has had a great benefit to both men and women. It has raised our standard of living as we can have dual income households, taking the pressure off of the man to be the sole provider. Men can also choose any occupation they want, even things that were traditionally "female only" such as nursing. Men have different relationships with their children, more healthy relationships, than simply being the disciplinarian in the family. It also allows men to not always be stoic and strong. It also allows men to take paternity leaves in some cases (something I think should be universal!)

Feminism is about choice. It allows families to choose how they want to function, whether they decide, as a unit, to have a stay at home mom, stay at home dad, or two working parents. It allows women to leave abusive situations because they can have a job and own their own house. It allows divorced families to set up joint custody arrangements allowing the dads to remain involved in raising their kids. It is more the norm here for courts to grant joint custody than to automatically grant the mom full custody.

als, this is not an attack on you, but it is difficult for me to understand how you can say you do not believe in equal rights for women when you've done all of these non-traditional things that would not have been possible 50 years ago. I sometimes wonder if women of your generation don't realize how things were for my mother's generation. My mom had to quit her job as a bank teller as soon as she was visibly pregnant. Do you believe that is right?

In my experience, our sororities definitely support feminism. Much of our programming is about developing leadership skills and empowering women to make decisions. We encourage scholastic success and provide networking opportunities to aid our members in the work force. If you join a sorority simply for the mixers, you're going to be really disappointed because you spend a lot more hours doing other things with the chapter.

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by AGDee

This is how I think of feminism and I'm always confused about how a woman who has gone to college, held a job in an underrepresented field, owned property, or voted in an election can say they are not a feminist. Without feminism, none of those things would have been possible.

The feminist movement has had a great benefit to both men and women. It has raised our standard of living as we can have dual income households, taking the pressure off of the man to be the sole provider. Men can also choose any occupation they want, even things that were traditionally "female only" such as nursing. Men have different relationships with their children, more healthy relationships, than simply being the disciplinarian in the family. It also allows men to not always be stoic and strong. It also allows men to take paternity leaves in some cases (something I think should be universal!)

Feminism is about choice. It allows families to choose how they want to function, whether they decide, as a unit, to have a stay at home mom, stay at home dad, or two working parents. It allows women to leave abusive situations because they can have a job and own their own house. It allows divorced families to set up joint custody arrangements allowing the dads to remain involved in raising their kids. It is more the norm here for courts to grant joint custody than to automatically grant the mom full custody.

als, this is not an attack on you, but it is difficult for me to understand how you can say you do not believe in equal rights for women when you've done all of these non-traditional things that would not have been possible 50 years ago. I sometimes wonder if women of your generation don't realize how things were for my mother's generation. My mom had to quit her job as a bank teller as soon as she was visibly pregnant. Do you believe that is right?

In my experience, our sororities definitely support feminism. Much of our programming is about developing leadership skills and empowering women to make decisions. We encourage scholastic success and provide networking opportunities to aid our members in the work force. If you join a sorority simply for the mixers, you're going to be really disappointed because you spend a lot more hours doing other things with the chapter.

Very well said AGDee, I agree on every aspect.