20 September 2005 - 4:16pm
because all women have this choice, right? *cough*bullshit*cough*
The NY Times just published an "opt-out" revolution piece, saying basically that more women are consciously choosing motherhood over careers.
This article focuses, on women in "elite colleges" (Harvard, Yale, and the like...of course not including any women in single-sex institutions that really are quite comparable to these "elite" institutions..I somehow doubt that the majority of students in single-sex colleges would agree with this getting-an-MRS-degree thing...), and how while they're going to college and intending to get "useful" degrees in things like law and such, they "say they will happily play a traditional female role, with motherhood their main commitment."
Ugh.
Think outside the box, kiddles.
Please.
One (male) dean at Yale has it right, at least...
"What does concern me," said Peter Salovey, the dean of Yale College, "is that so few students seem to be able to think outside the box; so few students seem to be able to imagine a life for themselves that isn't constructed along traditional gender roles."
I have sooo much more I could say about this, but no time to do so, so instead, I'm going to pimp out other bloggers.
Jessica at feministing
Echidne
And ms. musings
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Comments
I'm curious why these women are content to take up much sought after seats in ivy-league classrooms if they plan to become home-makers anyway, shouldn't those spots be filled by students who actually plan to use their educations to help support their families?
I'm curious why more men at these ivy-league schools are not talking about working a few years, and then spending home time raising a family. Why is it a "relief" for women to do this, but for men nobody ever even thinks of it.
I don't understand. I am a male and if I was married and my wife made enough money I would HAPPILY stay home and bring up the kids!!! And be a "HouseHusband." No problemos there - sh*t I would actually pray for that...
But I understand the whole equality and perception thing woman have been up against. And I say that b/c a person is a person is a person - that's it.
I read that article yesterday too and was reminded of a recent online discussion on the same issue. What I found interesting in the article was no mention as to how the women interviewed differed in their viewpoint by race and ethnicity or class.
I think in general we pay too much attention to the "elite" universities. However, I wonder if you went to your average state school with students coming from a much more diverse background (at least in class) how such viewpoints would differ... Hmm, seems like a possible study.
I'll post my thoughts on this article soon, I just need to quit procrastinating.
I think this comes down to the same thing as owning your own body comes down to--choice.
What happens in a marriage and who stays home to take care of the kids is a choice of the married couple. If the woman chose to get married. But if you have kids, the parent(s) better damn well make sure the children are a priority. This attitude that because a woman leaves college with a degree and great potential for advancement in the 'business' world but opts out to become 'mommy' so why bother wasting the education, pisses me off. It isn't wasted. She will use her education all her life, whether in a traditional role or any other role she chooses to accept. Why does it matter if it is immediately after she graduates or twenty years later? We all seem to change careers and life directions through the span of our lives.
The job of 'mommy' has been looked down on now for generations, but if you look around at our children you'll see some disturbing results. Parenthood is one of the most important jobs anyone shoulders, and the one many fail.
It's this type of pandering reporting that undermines women, erodes the idea of choice. Could this reporter find basis for an article on men who graduate cum laude and never reach their 'professional' potential, men who damage the ideas and goals of reclaiming domination by masculcrats? Probably, if they looked.