Mar 18
In today’s LA Times, Elizabeth Wurtzel (yes, THAT Elizabeth Wurtzel) has a column about the promise of feminism. Yes, she’s a little, shall we say, unhinged. You have to be somewhat crazy to write an entire book about your antidepressant of choice. However, being the SHRILL FEMINAZI that I am, some of what she wrote rang true.
Walk onto the trading floor of any of the hedge funds that crowd the Lever House building in Manhattan and hardly a female face will be seen who is not a secretary or an assistant. Enter the software shops of Silicon Valley, go to the rows of terminals where geeky computer programmers design cleverly crafted new media. They are mostly smart boys, playing with their toys. Everything that keeps our economy running is run by men.
For all the dynamic, visible women who are chief executives — like the CEOs of Xerox and Kraft — only 16% of corporate officers and 17% of large law firm partners are female. After all this time. Meanwhile, women still make 80 cents on the man’s dollar. And, for whatever reason, women who do the exact same work but are also mothers make 10 cents less.
It seems that the only industries in which women earn more than their male counterparts are pornography and prostitution.
Men, particularly married men, often dislike Hillary Clinton, and I suspect that it’s because she represents the unsexy wing of the women’s movement. She comes across as nearly neutered, as the woman whose husband would cheat on her — and, in fact, we know he did.
Race and gender (despite your feelings about Hillary) are absolutely part of this campaign. We have a black man and a white woman running for president. We are making history. But on the way, we are discovering the biases inherent in all of us. It’s just a reminder of the divisive views still held by many Americans.
A young black man on a corner is a thug. Illegals should go back to “where they came from.” Everyone in this country should speak English. Men will pay thousand of dollars to have sex with beautiful (and often abused) women. Cracks on women’s looks. Confederate flags. Muslims are terrorists. Mormons are cultists. Blue-collar whites are white trash. McCain is senile. Hillary is EMASCULATING (one of my least favorite words).
Crack is worse than cocaine, so black drug dealers should be sent to prison for a long, long time. Wealthy and successful black women are uppity. Obama is scary because his preacher is crazy. Any black politician supporting Hillary is a token black. Hispanics hate blacks. Blacks hate Hispanics. Whites hate everyone.
And, lest we forget, Irish are drunks and orphans are delicious. But those are true.
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Personally, I’d like to see a return to white on white prejudice. Some guy definately called me a mic yesterday and I found it oddly refreshing. Of course then I broke my guiness over his head and we fought until we were tired, got drunk together and set the pub on fire. I love St. Patty’s day.
I like Hillary. I support Obama for the nomination. I think most of the folks who are chauvinist and racist aren’t really focused on us here. They’re busy catching Sean Hannity right about now on AM 1370. Although I have noticed some ordinarily reasonable and progressive people getting really emotional over this nomination race. No, I’m not talking about anyone in particular.
Speaking for the married men Hillary haters….I’d llke her a lot better if she’d dump Bill. Someone remind me why we would want that moron back in the White House. I don’t even want him leading tours. Its not Hillary that we hate.
Hooray. I pass the test. There is not one single “bias statement” in those two paragraph I agree with. I don’t even think McCain is senile. He’s just Bush Light. Iraq’s Beer for the Next One Hundred Years.
I do, however agree that Irish are drunks and orphan babies are delicious.
It’s because I’m not married. And half Irish.
At what point in time will we have achieved gender equality? Dollars and percentages may actually provide a false sense of inequality.
I don’t believe that capable women who want to program computers or work for hedge funds are denied the opportunity. Choosing the career that you consider most rewarding, regardless of whether its a female or male dominated industry is the very definition of equality. Choosing to start a family and “have it all” proves that we have a choice. It’s not discrimination to promote someone who’s been on the job longer, so long as the same opportunity exists when the mother who took a few years off achieves that same level of seniority.
Great achievement always involves sacrifice.
Yikes - how did I get so preachy this close to happy hour? Lightening up…
Re: 4. Don’t Mess w/ Pink
But what about pregnant, powerwashing nannies?
I’ve been in the computer/electronics industry for far too long (since the early ’80s), and I’ve often wondered why there aren’t more women in this field. The few women in this industry that I do know seem to be happy and extremely well-paid.
My current boss is a woman, and I KNOW she’s extrememely well paid.
Doesn’t matter, though. I’m going to be a farmer when I grow up.
We’re in a time of real transition, and both genders are having to confront the realities — not just the rhetoric — of trying to create equal opportunity for all. It ain’t easy.
The biggest reality is this: It’s a competitive world and, when one person gets ahead, another falls behind. That can engender anger, jealousy, resentment, vengefullness and, in some instances, overindulgence in pinot — regardless of how right it may be.
Take a deep breath and let it go. Have a few cocktails and a nice orphan baby for dinner tonight. It’s gonna be a long, interesting ride.
Re: 5. JACK
A well made case. I’ve pondered why little girls, who have not been as socialized by gender roles, still gravitate towards careers traditionally held by women. I know there is still subtle bias, but women do have more options and choices (plus a lot more support for those choices).
It just may take a little more time than a generation or two for the full results to be seen. Even if there is some backsliding back towards traditional roles, I do not believe the majority of women will reverse the course we have set out.
http://www.inthepinktexas.com
I just noticed a new class at my gym.
CARDIO STRIPTEASE.
I kid you not.
It’s at Pure Austin. I urge you all to boycott this gym (the same one that allows — no, ENCOURAGES — fully clothed fleece-wearing layered-up women to sweat the few pounds they have left on their body off in the sauna).
I will be protesting this class by wearing a sandwich board outside the studio that reads, “SLUT MUCH?!”
http://www.mcblogger.com
Just FYI - Pharma sales, Real Estate and Mortgage Lending. Three occupations in which women excel and out earn their male counterparts.
The only people I hate are the ones who take too goddamn long at the bar. It’s usually some retard paddy. Or a smelly dago.
Re 12 mcblogger
Fields where looks matter, and flirting helps.
Re 12 mcblogger
And men are more often than not the recipients of the services.
Re 5 JACK
“Great achievments always involve sacrifice”
I’ve learned that the hard way…sexual harassment, bad mouthing, and crappy pay the list could go on and on. I work harder than the guys around me and I haven’t taken time off for a baby.
And guys wonder why women aren’t jumping into and staying in the male dominated fields? Maybe because they don’t want to tell boob jokes and talk about last night’s one night stand to get on the bosses good side. Or better yet they don’t want to f*uck him.
Re: 11. Pink Lady
Hell. I could teach that class.
http://www.showlush.com
Re: 11. Pink Lady
Is that like STRIPilates?
Now you know that the most famous stripper of late is the guy - last name Hernandez, don’t know the full name - who was booted off of American Idol recently. How do we reconcile this with all we have on our agenda? Was this male, Latino, stripper, who was demoted by a vote of every teenage girl with a cellphone in America, a victim? Shouldn’t Bill Richardson address this issue in a nationally televised speech? Shouldn’t Bill go by Ricardoson?
http://www.writedamnnow.com
Re: 12. mcblogger
Good call. Either Wurtzel didn’t bother to do her homework or she chose to ignore professions that didn’t support her preconceived notions. Which is worse in a journalist?
Two our of every three teachers in this country are women, and that gender gap is growing. Only 5.7 percent of all nurses in this country are men, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I would suggest that these professions have an equal or greater impact on our society than Wall Street or Silicon Valley… Or is Wurtzel only concerned with the glamorous, high-paying jobs?
And if gender disparity is such a concern, we need to figure out just who is conspiring to admit fewer men into college than women.
Now if you’ll excuse me I must deliver a report to my female boss, write a paper for my female professor, and arrange a vacation for my wife (who is also a female).
-Put
Re: 11. Pink Lady
They had that at my gym… didnt last. The rooms are completely open to the rest of the gym. No one wants to see that…
Re: 11. Pink Lady
Please make Mr. PL attend that class.
http://www.inthepinktexas.com
Re: 19. Put
“Two out of every three teachers in this country are women.”
Obviously teaching is a noble profession. Which pays around $30K starting salary. No, it’s not all about money. But — don’t most people have to make a decent salary just to get by? Practically 100% of preschool and kindergarten teachers are women. I have to think that’s a gender issue.
One example - at Princeton and Yale, women make up only 15 percent of tenured positions. There’s a big gap between schoolteachers and college professors.
I guess my point is, Wurtzel did do her homework, to say that she’s only concerned with “glamorous high-paying jobs” is a little disingenuous - why shouldn’t women expect high-paying jobs? Some of my (female) college friends who went on to become teachers left their jobs after about a year, complaining about salary and being underappreciated.
I think it’s great that more women are going to college. But, once in the workforce, there’s still a glass ceiling.
p.s. I’m glad your wife is female.
Re: 19. Put
Super! Women outnumber men in the nursing profession!
What percentage of *doctors* who are making 10 TIMES AS MUCH AS NURSES are women? I’m just curious.
I agree with PL (at last!) – so, women shouldn’t concern themselves with glamour and riches? That’s for our men to handle? We should just concentrate on taking care of the sick and teaching our children for crap wages, and leave the Big Money Big Power jobs to the boys?
PLEASE. I mean, really.
Nothing wrong with having an impact on society – I’d argue women have always had that, no matter how much we were getting paid. But this is not a discussion about impact, charity, the goodness inherent in the female gender and our innate ability to comfort and shape the future of our country
This is about money, pure and simple, and if you men can go after the Money Jobs then goddamn, so can we. Don’t just pat us on the heads and tell us to be self-satisfied with the “important” jobs while you go out and earn all the money and have all the fun.
F*uck. That.
http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/
Re: 5. JACK
In fact, women in computers make more than men do, at least at first (before any effect of time-off-for-whatever-reason has a chance to take hold). Putting the lie to that ridiculous paleofeminist comment about porn and prostitution.
http://www.mcblogger.com
Re: 13. Qwerty
That should make a difference?
Re: 23. Lurkette
Absolutely. When are women finally going to break into the important, glamorous, high-prestige jobs like blogging?
http://www.mcblogger.com
Re: 26. The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton
or being a laborer in steel mill. We do still have those, right?
No worries ladies. Looks like this may be resolving itself:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?p=306
Re: 23. Lurkette
There is an extreme shortage of nurses in the United States, which is why more and more nurses are from other countries. The reason? Women have more options coming out of college today and aren’t limited to becoming nurses or teachers like they used to be.
I think this is all about having babies and the stigma about men taking time off from work to raise them. While there’s no excuse for women making less than men for equal work, the high paying jobs mentioned above (lawyers, CEOs, investment bankers, software engineers) are jobs that typically require a TON of hours and supreme personal life sacrifice, making them incompatible with (good) parenthood.
As long as we continue to raise our children with the notion that when the time comes women stay home to care for the kids it will never be equal.
Re: 11. Pink Lady
You should just take the class. You know you want to. Plus, you already have the perfect stage name……….eileen
/Kidding.
http://www.inthepinktexas.com
Re: 29. Outsider
Now THAT’S my BIL.
Re: 15. Qwerty
Also, married working women are usually the ones who have to take time off when the kids are sick. Why?
Because if a man were to do so, well then he wouldn’t be paid as much either. It is still a constant in our society that it’s the mother’s job and duty to be all things to the family. It always seems that when the kids are sick that Mr. 2000 has a meeting he can’t reschedule. Also, his employer gives him hinky looks and no bonuses if he does reschedule.
So what is a Lovecow2000 to do but use all her sick leave and vacation time?
Finally, I have heard supposedly enlightened men say that Mr. So and So merits a raise because he has a family to support. Like I don’t?
Oh one last thing:
I prefer “vagina dentata” to SHRILL FEMINAZI