Rarely is an opinion heard that doesn’t tout the wonders and benefits of the feminist movement. Women are allowed innumerable choices today because of what the women of the past have struggled for. Women today can attend colleges and choose to study in whatever field interests them. Women can hold high positions in businesses or politics that have been typically male-dominated. Women have found their place in sports arenas, broadcasting, computer technology, and engineering. But there has been a price to pay.When a woman makes the choice to enter the business world, she is viewed as a strong, intelligent woman by society. But, inside the company doors, there may be a different view. She can be seen as a frail, fragile woman trying to make it in a man’s world. She can be seen as someone who’s just working as a hobby to get some time away from the kids. She can be viewed as someone who is taking a job away from a man who needs the job to take care of his family. Because of these views and unending stereotypes, the woman in the workplace works harder and is compensated less than her male counterparts.
Society has allowed women these choices, but now has set high expectations. Women are now expected to want and pursue a career. Women who choose to stay home with their families are often looked down upon with as much shock as a woman in the 1940s proclaiming that she wants to be in a management position at the Ford plant. They are often seen as being lazy and sponging off of their hard-working husbands. The job of being a full-time mother doesn’t hold the respect that it should. It can be heard in conversations when people say things like, “She just stays home,” or, “Her poor husband has to work so hard while she stays home.” The term “stay at home” is always used in opposition to the word “work.”
And what about the children? People other than the parents are raising the children of the women who work. According to many studies, this really isn’t a problem if it’s combined with a nurturing environment at home. This is where the problem lies. In the old days, the father’s excuse for being somewhat inattentive to his children was the fact that he had been working all day. Now, this is the excuse of both of the parents. Along with being in the care of non-family members all day, the children now resort to television and video games to fill the rest of their day instead of interacting with their parents, who are just too drained to spend the quality time needed.
The equality of women certainly isn’t an issue, but the pressure that society now puts on women is. If the feminist movement was about letting the woman decide what she wants to do and allowing opportunities, then any and all choices should hold the same respect. Whether a woman chooses to stay home with her children or be a part of the business world, the choice should not be something that she has to defend or feel self-conscious about.