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19 year old female student nurse sums up feminism for me

I ask if Laura would call herself a feminist. ‘No.’ Why not? ‘No one should be discriminated against because of their sex, but the way I see modern feminism is it’s gone almost beyond equality: they want women to have more rights than men. They want quotas for women in businesses and I don’t agree with that.’

But company boards are still very male. Shouldn’t we try to address that? ‘I think the main reason behind that is that women want to have children and a family life.’

Similarly, she thinks it isn’t discrimination that prevents more women getting into politics.

‘The problem I think we’ve got is that fewer women are interested in politics: look at the percentage of female MPs, or female members of other political parties.’ But perhaps that’s because sexism is stopping them getting to the top? ‘If you look at someone like Theresa May, she’s a really well-established politician. I just think women aren’t as interested as sad as that is.’

How is she wrong?

Source:

http://www.thedebrief.co.uk/2014/08/what-makes-a-19-year-old-student-nurse-join-ukip#.U_KNw7xdVHD

I actually agree with her. Good on her to say what she said.

Reply 3

joker12345

Yeah, I agree with the basic premise - women don't go into these fields as they're less interested/more interested in family life. I'm not sure whether that's innate of it's cultural though. I disagree with quotas etc, I just think we should get rid of gender roles and expectations that women should raise kids/do certain jobs and men shouldn't have such an active role in parenting, but I think that will come with time

Reply 4

Mackay

Original post by vickidc18

I've read the whole article & what she says makes sense , but it shouldn't be a choice between having & career or family, both parents should actively be involved in child rearing, it is seen as the womans job to mostly raise the kids, which is presumed by the government & employers. If a woman stays at home to raise the kids thats her choice, but if a father wishes to stay and raise the kids he should be able to.

I agree with this.

Reply 5

idontevenbeth

This whole 'equality' and 'mens rights' as it’s never about wanting anything other than to silence and talk over women. Let's combat this misogyny shall we...

"I think the main reason behind that is that women want to have children and a family life.’"
- As well as assuming all women want children, you also make the horrible assumption that all women can have children. This suggests that if she cannot have children, she is worthless. She's basically just ignored transwomen and unfirtile women. The fact that she even says this means she does not know what actual feminism is.

"The problem I think we’ve got is that fewer women are interested in politics: look at the percentage of female MPs, or female members of other political parties."
-Or maybe it's because female politicians are extremely sexualised to the point that their job isn't mentioned and instead a label (eg. Blair's Babes, Cameron's Cuties to name a few) is slapped on to them, lowering them below men of similar professions? Imagine studying at uni and spending so much money on education to come out and be called a 'cutie' or a 'babe'? A lot of women see this.

"‘If you look at someone like Theresa May, she’s a really well-established politician. I just think women aren’t as interested as sad as that is.’"
- But look at the absolute BULL that Theresa May has to put up with! Just look at any news article about her to see an example of what women in politics has to put up with.
Feminism, at its very core, is a liberation ideology that intimately engages with the harmfulness of masculinity/femininity as traits coerced upon children, teens and adults, how gendered injustices come into fruition through social, academic, economical and labor institutions and how we can create a world which upheaves patriarchy as a global phenomenon. The fact that equality (more clearly understood as assimilation) and a society in which women exploit men are the two only foreseeable options to you is troubling, to say the least and sounds like an iteration of patriarchy itself (either you join or you’re against us).
Finally feminism is not about women being better than men nor is it about being equal to men. Feminism is about women being liberated from men. I have no desire to be considered “equal” to the system of power that allows men to abuse, murder, and rape us. I want liberation from patriarchy and men.

Equality is the goal, not the method.