Women's Day

I have a confession to make: I'm sort of against Women's Day.

*gasp shock horror unfeminist weak-willed woman alert we must convert her*

I said "sort of". Listen to me first.

One one hand, there's the fact that Women's Day is a feminist day, and I'm no longer truly a feminist, but a very strict egalitarian, if that exists (NB- it does, but equalitarian doesn't ^^). I believe in the real and true equal value of BOTH sexes - not just women. Many feminists think men are all evil pervy bastards from hell, who deliberately try to oppress females on a daily basis. The image some women have of men is that they are barely human. Men are blamed for all the war, violence and evil in the world, and the idea of a world in which women would be in power - and I mean ONLY women - is seen as utopia. Sons of these women are sometimes oppressed much in the same way as daughters were in the past.


I'm not saying that this attitude wasn't needed at some point - if men were to be convinced of our worth, we had to be convinced of it first. But that time is over. Or at least, in most civilized European countries it is over. We've won! Men agree with us now. Women have come into power, there are special programmes at school or university encouraging us to do what was previously known as "men's studies" and "men's jobs", such as science and engineering. We have the same rights as men. Some people in society - not just men - are still affected by their machist upbringing, but they are mostly retired now.

Feminism has even gone too far sometimes. We can sue practically anyone we don't like and who dares flirt with us for sexual harassment. Abortion is purely our choice, because "it's my body" - but of course, once the baby's out, it's "our" baby, whether the father wanted a baby or not. I find this horribly unfair - we have the power to ruin a man's life and future this way. I believe - and lots of women reading this will not like it - that if a woman wants the baby but the man doesn't, that she should not be allowed to force him to become a father, any more than he should be allowed to force her into motherhood. No child should be brought into the world by reluctant parents, on either side. Contraception is as much a woman's responsibility as a man's, and given the choices we have - abortion, adoption, financial aid from the local council - we can no longer claim to be victims. Being a single parent is difficult, but millions of people - not just women - do it every day.

I feel that in many ways, feminism is obsolete, and an egalitarian policy should take its place. If a butcher wants to hire an assistant and he has in front of him two equally qualified candidates, a man and a woman, nothing should prevent him from choosing the man because he is physically stronger. Being women doesn't give us an excuse to be victims.

Imagine being a man born in a family of women, all feminists. From early childhood you have learned that men are naturally worse than women, that while women are both strong and sensitive, men are just strong, bestial. You fall into this mould because it is the only image you know. Later on, you pay thousands for therapy for commitment problems, and the image you have of yourself is that of an unsensitive bastard who will inevitably leave every woman you ever meet because you can't get in touch with your feelings.

I am against Women's Day because it implies that every other day in the year is Men's Day, and it's not. We have our equal rights. We have our political representants. Thatcher proved that women can be just as cold and heartless as men, and Royal - the infamous downfall of the French socialist party - proved that they can be just as stupid and tactless. Hilary Clinton proved that we can be clever and strong (though not perfect). These things shouldn't have needed proof. Whether male or female, we're all human, we all have the same destructive tendencies, the same sensitive nature. Only the hormones are different.

Man without woman is nothing - but woman without man isn't much either. We need each other, so let's put an end to this battle of the sexes and aim for total equality, everywhere.


On the other hand, I do like getting the flowers offered by people in the street on Women's Day.

I said "sort of", didn't I?