Madeleine O’Neill
Hanna Rosin’s book, “The End of Men,” has launched a new debate about whether or not the era of male dominance is over. Rosin points out that American women make up a greater percentage of the workforce, earn 60 percent of all college degrees, and are earning close to half of all household income. Because of this, she argues the time has come for a switch from patriarchy to matriarchy.
But here’s the problem with that argument. While women are catching up in the workforce, filling service positions while traditionally male manufacturing jobs are being shipped overseas, they are not gaining ground in the highest tiers of society. Only three percent of the Forbes 400 list is female and only 17 percent of Congress is made up of women.
Meanwhile, women are still not being paid equally for equal work. Back in June, Congress rejected the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have required employers to demonstrate that pay inequities between men and women were based on real differences in workload, not just gender. Until women have their share of representation in Congress, legislation like that isn’t going to pass.
Yes, this election has set a new record for the number of women running for Congress, and let’s say all of those women win their seats (something which is extremely unlikely). Both houses of Congress would be close to having a female majority -— but even then there’s a problem; if even a few of these women are far-right Republicans, you can bet they’re not going to be voting “yes” on a lot of pro-women legislation.
Just look at Jan Brewer. The controversial Arizona governor changed Arizona’s abortion laws to declare that a gestational period begins on the last day of a woman’s most recent period. So basically, if you get pregnant and want an abortion, you have less time to do it because your pregnancy actually began before you had sex. Surprise! You could have been “pregnant” for two whole weeks before you had sex, according to Brewer. So, not only does this lady have no understanding of basic biology, she also has no problem with taking rights away from her fellow women.
If Romney wins in November, Ryan will be second-in-command of our country. Because of this, it’s worth noting that Paul Ryan voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would provide equal compensation regardless of gender. Ryan also wishes to ban abortion entirely, even in cases of rape or incest. Romney also supports an abortion ban, but claims he would allow for an exception in the case of rape victims. Romney and Ryan have both shown support for state laws that require women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion.
A number of these laws hit their peak last spring, when several states passed bills requiring trans-vaginal ultrasounds before abortions. If the phrase “state-mandated vaginal ultrasound” doesn’t scare you, then something’s wrong. Pennsylvania’s governor suggested that women who don’t like it can simply look away from the screen during the examination. Texas went so far as to require women to either look at the screen during the sonogram or listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Oh, and the state legislatures that passed these laws? In Texas, the legislature is 21 percent female, and in Virginia, the state that started this trend, it’s about 17 percent.
Maybe soon we’ll see some sweeping movement in favor of women leaders (Elizabeth Warren 2016, anyone?) but for now, don’t expect to see anything as sweeping as “The End of Men.”
In response to “The patriarchy in American persists”:
50% of the Forbes 400 list is female; 50% of Congress is woman; women achieve equal pay in the work force. In the wise words of ’12 alum Meredith Loken, “Feminist agenda achieved, everybody go home.” Right?
Wrong.
While I appreciate this article’s recognition of the fact that, while the women’s rights movement has seen great progress from the time of its birth, I am troubled that “the patriarchy,” a deep-seated and profound structure of inequality, is being reduced to equal pay and a woman politician supporting her “fellow women.”
What about a woman’s ability to move through space without fear of being sexually assaulted by a man? Even further, what about a man’s ability to coincidentally walk 6 feet behind a female through that space without feeling compelled to prove himself as a “not-rapist”?
While this is only one of myriad of examples, the patriarchy is much deeper than politics and pay: it’s about ensuring that those of all genders (let’s not forget trans, queer, and non-binary people) are able to live as they choose without constraint. While interrogating institutions is important, let’s not lose sight of the real goal, here: “to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” in ALL realms of life (hooks).