But, do you really think sexism is the same as it was 50 years ago? My experience of the world and the huge number of women in all positions in society would seem to argue that it’s a much different world.
But, do you really think sexism is the same as it was 50 years ago? My experience of the world and the huge number of women in all positions in society would seem to argue that it’s a much different world.
Women have far more access to higher education and public employment than we did in the mid-twentieth century. The representation of women at the highest levels of power in the U.S. is still poor. In the private sector, 90% of CEO's of fortune 500 companies are men. In government the number of women has increased greatly from what it was; about 25% of U.S. Senators are women. We have not, of course, yet elected a female president. At mid-levels of power in private companies and public bureaucracies women occupy many more positions than at the highest levels.
While the improvements are wonderful, there are other trends that are not. One ominous trend is that the increase in power of women in public life is now being blamed by some prominent conservative for most of our current national problems. Examples of writers who are promoting this idea include Christopher Rufo and Heather MacDonald. Conservatives in the House of Reps recently voted in Mike Johnson, who thinks that women's primary role should be to "raise the next generation." (I guess men won't have a role in that).
When I have challenged these ideas online, the men who responded have mostly offered blatantly sexist opinions, such as "women are unfit to lead" and verbal abuse. In response to identifying myself as a feminist, I have received death threats and menacing video clips about what sender intends to do to me. As a result, I have stopped posting on a number of sites that focus on topics of importance to me, particularly those that challenge woke extremism. I assume that many other women are reluctant to post critiques of sexist thinking and actions online, since this is the reaction that happens. I did also receive death threats in the 1970's when my feminist activism attracted some media attention. However, the latest wave of violent misogyny exceeds anything I have experienced in the past. Men in some conservative circles appear to regard threats against women who speak up for women's rights as very acceptable. People on the woke left apparently view violence against women as acceptable as long as the men perpetrating the violence say they are women, or label the victims as TERFS.
Violence against women is the primary tool that is used globally to instill fear in women who try to increase their access to power, resources and opportunity. One of the first goals of the Second Wave feminist movement was to bring attention to the level of violence against women in the U.S., both on public streets and in family homes. The recent rise in the use of verbal abuse, threats of violence and actual violence to intimidate women advocating for women's rights is a serious problem. The general silence about this issue is even more alarming.
But, do you really think sexism is the same as it was 50 years ago? My experience of the world and the huge number of women in all positions in society would seem to argue that it’s a much different world.
Women have far more access to higher education and public employment than we did in the mid-twentieth century. The representation of women at the highest levels of power in the U.S. is still poor. In the private sector, 90% of CEO's of fortune 500 companies are men. In government the number of women has increased greatly from what it was; about 25% of U.S. Senators are women. We have not, of course, yet elected a female president. At mid-levels of power in private companies and public bureaucracies women occupy many more positions than at the highest levels.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106320#:~:text=Fast%20Facts,up%2047%25%20of%20the%20workforce
Women continue to be paid less than men, including for similar work, and to perform more of the unpaid work necessary to maintain homes and families.
https://myelder.com/women-bear-the-brunt-of-elder-caregiving/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/women-breadwinners-tripled-since-1970s-still-doing-more-unpaid-work/
While the improvements are wonderful, there are other trends that are not. One ominous trend is that the increase in power of women in public life is now being blamed by some prominent conservative for most of our current national problems. Examples of writers who are promoting this idea include Christopher Rufo and Heather MacDonald. Conservatives in the House of Reps recently voted in Mike Johnson, who thinks that women's primary role should be to "raise the next generation." (I guess men won't have a role in that).
When I have challenged these ideas online, the men who responded have mostly offered blatantly sexist opinions, such as "women are unfit to lead" and verbal abuse. In response to identifying myself as a feminist, I have received death threats and menacing video clips about what sender intends to do to me. As a result, I have stopped posting on a number of sites that focus on topics of importance to me, particularly those that challenge woke extremism. I assume that many other women are reluctant to post critiques of sexist thinking and actions online, since this is the reaction that happens. I did also receive death threats in the 1970's when my feminist activism attracted some media attention. However, the latest wave of violent misogyny exceeds anything I have experienced in the past. Men in some conservative circles appear to regard threats against women who speak up for women's rights as very acceptable. People on the woke left apparently view violence against women as acceptable as long as the men perpetrating the violence say they are women, or label the victims as TERFS.
Violence against women is the primary tool that is used globally to instill fear in women who try to increase their access to power, resources and opportunity. One of the first goals of the Second Wave feminist movement was to bring attention to the level of violence against women in the U.S., both on public streets and in family homes. The recent rise in the use of verbal abuse, threats of violence and actual violence to intimidate women advocating for women's rights is a serious problem. The general silence about this issue is even more alarming.