Letters to the Editor
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So much scoffing
"Maybe not that last part -- but basically Spencer's point boils down to the idea that when women fought for their rights to enter male-dominated workplaces, they should have also done more negotiating on behalf of their families. But instead, not only did they try too hard to fit into the male working paradigm, leaving their kids in the dust, but they actually upped Americans' work standards, so that today, men and women are all working more than they used to, and family life is suffering as a result."
I'm a professional woman and a feminist... So, what exactly is the flaw in the above argument? This editorial ain't perfect, but it has nothing in common with that idiot piece that appeared in Wa Po a few weeks ago. Maybe Spencer's wrong for out-and-out blaming workaholism on women in the workforce, but I do agree wholeheartedly that the professions' requirements should have been redefined when women joined the workforce en masse, and that that didn't happen. There is something wrong when everyone is working harder and longer hours, yet women are still making 70 cents for every dollar a man makes. What is the matter with attempting to examine where we did go wrong, since we obviously did go wrong somewhere? Why do we attack other women for trying to open a public dialog on workplace issues? Instead, it seems lately like most feminists would rather throw up their hands and sigh, "Oh, I guess women just can't have it all after all." Feminists need to grow some balls and take some criticism once in a while.