Sometimes, life changes force us to let go of the familiar and, instead, face future challenges and feelings of vulnerability. Although some transitions are as natural and as quick as the changing seasons, others take longer to come to fruition.
While reading about the golden anniversary of Betty Friedan’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Friedan) international bestseller “The Feminine Mystique”, I felt that the timing of this celebration couldn’t come at a more appropriate transition period.
It has been well researched and reported that despite decades of efforts, Betty Friedan’s intention to bring “monumental social change” that would threaten “those who couldn’t deal with that change,” women are still paid less than men. This statistic cuts across every educational level and in every job category, with a few exceptions. Likewise, the number of women in leadership positions also remains low.
In 1963, most people in the western world believed that gender equality was neither possible nor appropriate. In France, for example, until 1965 banks were required to notify husbands when their wives opened bank accounts, if the wife did not have her own career or separate assets. And in Germany before 1957, husbands could terminate their wives’ employment contract if her work interfered with her duties of running the household and looking after the children. Since that time, many changes have taken place to equalize gender roles, at home as well as in the workplace.
Regardless of all the positive changes, however, the gender equality revolution is still unfinished. Women are still struggling to balance careers and family life. While in theory, many people agree about the need to share bread winning and family care obligations, the majority of people expect women to assume primary family care responsibilities and for men to focus on their careers.
It is because “we don’t have male-female equality,” Anne-Marie Slaughter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne-Marie_Slaughter)believed, that “we need the next wave of an equal rights revolution.”
The first women’s rights revolution focused primarily on suffrage, the second revolution broadened the discussion to the workplace, and fought for women to have the possibility to hold any professional position and to be paid accordingly. Today, we are entering a new era, what Ariana Huffington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianna_Huffington) calls a “next-wave” women’s movement. “Because this time we’re not just fighting for a space in the world, we’re fighting to change it,” Huffington says.
While most of us might not be in the position to change the world, we can all take advantage of the seasonal changes to focus on one specific improvement we would like to make this spring.
What change are you willing to focus on this season?