Women's Vote and Suffragettes
I was watching a film about this the other night. I can't imagine how we once had a world where women were not allowed to vote. To think we had societies where my Mother, Daughter, Sister or Girlfriend/Wife could not have voted. How did the men in those societies justify it?. (Interestingly, the film I watched was "Iron jawed angels", made in the States. It said that women there only got the vote in 1920. Unless I missed it 'cos I only watched half of it, it didn't state that women over here, over 30 years of age, had the vote 2 years before, in 1918. Surely this was relevant as the American women could have used it as a lever? It's not the first time that Hollywood would have been economical with the truth) I know that some women sacrificed a lot to eventually get what was their right! Anyway, what do others feel about a world where women wouldn't have been able to vote. Just think,it's less than 100 years ago!
Crazy isn't it? Extremely difficult for me to imagine...
Same goes for seperate drinking fountains, bathrooms and places to sit on public transportation (to name a few) between the races. As recently as the 1950s and 60s in the U.S. I was born in the early 60s and I can't begin to imagine it.....then again, I was raised in a home where we are all members of one race...the Human race.
Wow!
I can't imagine living like that either. I WISH it were a 100 years ago. But you have to amend your statement. You and I live in countries where women can vote, oen property, control their own finances and own their bodies (although there are forces at work in the US trying to change that) we do not live in a world where that is universally the case.
We live in a world where many women cannot travel or even leave the house (which does not belong to them) without a male guardian. There are countries where more than 80% of the women have been subjected to FGM. Honor killing is on the rise. South Africa has the phenonoma of "corrective rape", Iran won't execute a virgin so 100s of women have been "married" and raped before their executions. In the US women still earn 75% of what men do and a report released last month stated that women still earn less for the same work. In "agricultural" societies women are estimated to provide over 80% of the labor, vitually all of it not accounted for in any GNP and they receive little pay.
CARE says, "Women are the most underutilized natural resourse in the world." That should be amended, "as leaders", certainly they are used. Extensive studies have found over and over that women's full particitation in leadership improves outcomes. In the late 1990 almost 200 nations attended a United Nations Conference and set a goal of at least 30% women in decision making. Since more than 100 countries have taken action toward that goal. 23 countries have met or exceeded this goal, over 100 have changed laws and constitutions as they move toward this goal. Some of the countries that have take concrete steps might surprise you.
Interestingly, under G.W. Bush, the US promoted hard targets for women in office - outside the US, but not within. The US has made little movement toward implimenting the "30% solution", in fact in some ways it is going backwards. Sigh.
Last year, I named Linda Tarr-Whelan's book, Women Lead the Way Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World, as my book of the year. I still highly recommend that everyone and especially Americans, read it. It's readable, not heavy, gives the facts and presents positive things that are happening and can be done. Humans will never live in utopia, we are too good at messing up but we could be directing our mind power and resourses in very different ways to create a much better life worldwide.
We have come a long way but the journey is not over!
We can only learn to love by loving. - Iris Mudoch, British writer
All good stuff, but I do not believe in positive discrimination to correct problems. In this country we have had the ridiculous situation where some political parties have had female only candidates. This is plain stupid. Candidates should be chosen on their ability only. I do not care if my governmnet is female, black , white, chinese origin or whatever. As long as they are best for the job. Anyway, I digress. It was also the situation, before WW1, that women could not become medical Doctors. It was reallyonly the loss of so many men in that war that made the necessity. Crazy, isn't it. Women are among the best Doctors in the world. But, as I mentioned earlier, how come the men of those days allowed this to happen? How come it was acceptable ? Were not men and women made equal in the face of God? I have never, ever, considered women other than my equal.
Anyway, and this might upset some people, I believe that our cultures are more evolved than some of those you mention Wildchild. And that I think explains a lot of it. The more evolved the society, the more equal it is. Not that our societies are perfect, far from it. But those cultures are where ours were hundreds of years ago. But, as I said, the main thing I can't over is how some men went home to their wives, mothers, sisters and acted like they were superior to them. If anyone had said that my Mother was a second class citizen I would have taken them outside for a "discussion".
I am appreciative of the advances, I am appreciative of the right to vote (even though I choose not to vote today), and I appreciate that things are not like they used to be. I would hate to live 100 years ago. However that "hate" comes from knowledge of what I know now. I have interests now, like getting an advanced science degree, which would I would not have been able to do back then. I am not a stay at home type woman, I am a work and come home type woman. If I was in that time 100 years ago with the same interests it would have been a miserable time not being allowed to go to school. Place me in that 100 years ago situation where that is all I know, with no experience of things today, and I am sure I would just be another peon like the rest of them just going about my day as I 'should'.
There are those who believe that dictionaries should not merely reflect the times but also protect English from the mindless assaults of the trendy.
On infoplease it said that limited rights were granted in 1918 with equalization in 1928. What does that mean?Originally Posted by Thomas Hepburn
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
...
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Patrick Henry
dunno !
I just have to say I watched that film recently, and as a young woman I can definitely say that I will never give up my right to vote for anything...I mean it, anything from government elections to my university president elections. Women like those depicted in that film made it possible for me and those like me to vote...and I'll be grateful for it every time i cast my vote
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