Full Frontal Feminism_ A Young Women's Guide to Why Feminism Matters - Jessica Valenti [36]
6
MATERIAL WORLD
Women work. We have to. So why is it that we’re still being told that our “natural” place is at home? Sure, women aren’t getting the old 1950s barefoot-and-pregnant crap—but there’s still a strong movement that wants us to back-track our asses to the kitchen, despite the reality of women working. Regardless of the retro messages (be they from the media, government, or otherwise), women are working in force. Still, we’re 40 percent more likely to be poor, earn significantly less than men—and we continue to work that second shift—and do the bulk of the cooking, cleaning, and childcare! So all is definitely not well.
Now, plenty of people—mostly old white guys with high-paying jobs—are arguing that this is all going on because of women’s choices. We want to spend more time at home, so it’s only natural that we make less and climb the ranks slower. My ass. The vast majority of American women can’t afford not to work—there’s no choice about it. And these folks who argue that women aren’t making money because we don’t want to are the same ones who think that women belong in the home: They’re the leaders from conservative organizations, popular columnists, and even decision-makers in the government. Traditional ideas about women working are more common than you’d think, and there’s a movement of powerful people out there making sure that their messages are getting across—to you.
It’s young women who are most affected by this; we’re the ones starting our careers and maybe even families (married or not). Yet we’re still being fed the same drivel that our mothers and grandmothers were—in revamped language, of course. Ideas about women not wanting to work are being pushed under the rhetoric of “choice” (I know, it’s our word!): Women choose to make less, women choose to stay home, women choose not to work as hard. It remains to be seen how many of us will actually fall for this nonsense, but the prevalence of the message is disturbing enough. And when we do have children, the same people who were pushing us to be happy homemakers are nowhere to be seen.
The thing that worries me? Of all the issues that young women talk about and get excited about, this seems to be at the bottom of the list. And that seems strange. The things that will potentially affect us the most in life—work, family, money—are the things we discuss the least. That needs to change.
The Not So Fun Truth about Women Working
Most women work outside of the home—and have been for some time. So you would think that working life for the gals would be fine by now. Or at least a lot better. Unfortunately, not so much. Some of the same obstacles that existed decades ago are still around in force. Whether it’s pay inequity, harassment, discrimination, or outright lies about the very existence of working women—we’re still facing plenty of hurdles.
WHO NEEDS A DOLLAR WHEN YOU HAVE SEVENTY-SIX CENTS?
It’s pretty unbelievable, but women are still earning significantly less than men in the workplace—and we haven’t made that much headway over the years. The Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, when women were making about 60 percent of what men did. By 1990, that number went up to 70 percent. Now? It’s a measly 76 percent. Not much of an improvement for more than forty years of so-called progress. Fuckers.
What really pisses me off about the wage gap, though, is that some people are saying it doesn’t exist. Never mind that these statistics come from the government. Whether it’s from the media, conservative pundits, or even the government, their argument is full of crap but scarily prevalent. The common line is that women make less because we take time off to care for kids and family members. My favorite anti-feminist organization, the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), has actually