I Am Woman. Hear Me Roar.

The wise words of Helen Reddy (3/4 of you don't have any idea who she is):

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman.

You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

 Being forced to take it down a notch thanks to my broken ankle provided me time to read.  I'm not a voracious reader by any means, and I have been known to start a book and never finish it.  One that really impacted me is Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights by Katha Pollitt.  I understand that abortion is a touchy subject, and you don't have to agree with me to understand why this book awakened something in me.

I am part of a generation of women (I was born in 1979) who reaped the benefit of decades and decades of struggle not just for reproductive rights, but for human rights in general.  Marital rape wasn't a crime when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, and in fact it wasn't until 1993 that marital rape was illegal in all 50 states.  Until 1978 a woman could be fired simply for being pregnant.  Hell, women weren't legally allowed to serve on juries in all 50 states until 1973.  If you don't believe me, Google it.  

In 2015, women still have a long way to go.  The government and our employers get to decide what medical care we can access.  Let that sink in.  The Supreme Court says that your employer can decide what medical services will be covered under your insurance.  Women should be yelling from the rooftops, "WHAT IS GOING ON!??"  Instead, we hide behind misunderstood "religious freedom."  Don't even get me started on religion being used to marginalize and persecute people.  Here's some advice: stop using God, Allah, Jehovah and any other god as an excuse to make your position in society better.  

But I digress.

Women, though expected to care for each and every egg we allow to be fertilized, are not given paid leave when babies are born.  FMLA does not protect a woman's job unless she has (usually) worked in the same place for a year.  Society claims to value human life but undervalues mothers every single minute of every single day.  Women don't make as much as men for the same work.  

Women both young and old are judged and valued according to their appearance.   Girls and women are told that being raped is their fault (because of their clothes, or maybe they were out too late, or maybe she should've known what he was after, or he was owed something).  

Feminist is a dirty word.

Boys are called "pussies" and ridiculed for running/playing/throwing "like a girl."

Men are told to "man up" because obviously showing emotion is weak. 

Corporations are people.  Fertilized eggs are people.  Women? Meh.  

Ladies and gentlemen, we have work to do.

Where do we begin??  Well, as with any many problems the solution isn't simple.  I hope to elaborate more on solutions in later blogs.  My purpose here is to get you thinking critically about the complacency of our generation.  I want y'all to start thinking about solutions.  Until then  Susan B. Anthony has an idea:

I know, she's ancient history, so let's hear from a more recent feminist: