Why does anybody cluck cluck over someone else's life choices? How does someone staying at home instead of working full-time (or vice versa) invalidate someone else's choice? There's a long history of the various media using really flimsy statistics to create these dramatic stories about how one choice is better than the other. They do it because people obsess over it. In a perfect world, everybody would stop using other people's choices to validate/invalidate their own choices.

the reason this gets so much press is because there's not much left for feminists to complain about: let's face it, after you discount the cooked stats on salary gaps, women have it great in America and Europe. Women in America are free to persue whatever they want to - though men still rule the corporate roost, women have been making steady gains for years - they fill our schools, they earn real money - they have birth control out the wazoo - and yes, they have abortion rights, though in certain areas, that is certainly under attack. Lesbians are free to be who they are, women decide their own fashion statements, they play sports in abundance, they win overwhlemingly in the divorce court and if they could put a voting block together, nothing stops them from running our congress and presidency. Of course, if the feminist movement gave a shit about their sisters of color - or if they had the cunts (as opposed to the balls) to really go after rap music and the oppressive muslim and African societies, then we'd be seeing a much different movement - but all they care about - it seems, are the middle and upper middle class and what white guys are thinking and or doing. So they hem and haw on issues that effect about one percent of women overall. That's why this stay at home business (and I don't know anyone who can actually afford to do so) is so important - it's all they have...

No offence, Jeffery, but your attack seems oddly misplaced. Sure women have made gains that are very impressive -- no one is arguing against you there. But I guess questions of marriage/kids/career are a big deal to women because men and women still have different roles -- in terms of "domestic management". Anecdotally, of all the marriages you've been close to, would you say that men and women are doing equal work in the marriage? I'm sure it happens, but I think it should be faced that, overwhelmingly marriage is still harder on women than men. Don't believe me? Look at television commercials. Whenever you see one for cleaning products it's, the vast majority of the time, a woman in the commercial. So for women, of any class, we grow up seeing these images and I think it's understandable that we would question what we want from life.

Oh, dear.

"they earn real money"

Well, that really SHOULD make anyone happy. Who could ask for more than the opportunity to make real money?

"they have birth control out the wazoo"

The birth control really works better when it's left *in* the wazoo.

"and yes, they have abortion rights, though in certain areas, that is certainly under attack"

This is under attack in all areas, not in some areas. And as appealing as it would be to hold my gaze fast to my own navel, knowing that I can probably still find a place in my blue state to have an abortion should I need one does not eliminate my concern about the places where it is already nearly impossible to find an abortion provider. It does not help the people (men AND women, both of whom are affected by unplanned pregnancies) who live in states in which it would be immediately illegal to obtain an abortion in the event constitutional barriers were removed, nor the people who live in states where Roe is currently suffering death by a thousand cuts in the form of restrictions making it more dangerous, burdensome, and expensive to take care of your own health.

"Lesbians are free to be who they are"

Unless they want to be married. I hate to assign the IRS the responsibility for establishing one's identity, but somehow in this case, I think there are people for whom "who they are" would involve a desire to be "married filing jointly." I think it's safe to say that there are still a few ways in which we haven't achieved 100 percent perfect cultural equality for same-sex couples.

"women decide their own fashion statements"

Yes, it's true. I really have nothing to complain about, societal-stereotype-wise, now that they let me wear pants. Oh, pants, how you do make up for a thousand instances of institutional prejudice.

"they play sports in abundance"

And as you know, ESPN focuses most of its energy on the WNBA, the WNFL, the WNHL, and WMLB. And if you've visited your local high school recently, you know that nothing drives a pep rally like the male cheerleaders all devoted to giving it up for the girls' track team.

"they win overwhlemingly in the divorce court"

After a divorce, a woman's standard of living typically drops 27 percent, while a man's increases by 10 percent. Those lucky divorced women. They get all the free stuff.

"and if they could put a voting block together, nothing stops them from running our congress and presidency"

You make a good point. If women simultaneously gave up every other political conviction we have about the environment, education, crime, foreign policy, domestic policy, taxation, social services, civil rights, and the designated hitter, we could form a single voting bloc based solely on who has what body parts, and then we could elect a woman who would at least be a woman, although we would presumably know nothing about her positions on the environment, education, crime, foreign policy, domestic policy, taxation, social services, civil rights, or the designated hitter. But at least it would be a woman!

"Of course, if the feminist movement gave a shit about their sisters of color - or if they had the cunts (as opposed to the balls) to really go after rap music and the oppressive muslim and African societies, then we'd be seeing a much different movement"

...rap music? Seriously?

And if you think feminists aren't yapping about oppressive Muslim and African societies, you need to stop listening to so much rap music and read more.

"- but all they care about - it seems, are the middle and upper middle class"

There's a fair argument that the traditional feminist movement has been both classist and racist. But that's not because white middle-class women have achieved perfect equality and have nothing to complain about.

"and what white guys are thinking and or doing"

Oh, white guys. They really are so distracting. Can you blame us?

"So they hem and haw on issues that effect about one percent of women overall. That's why this stay at home business (and I don't know anyone who can actually afford to do so) is so important - it's all they have..."

Wait, issues about work-family balance affect about one percent of women? Wow. I must know a lot more women than I thought.