A good read here, folks.
Thanks for posting, Kaslin.
Posted on 09/29/2009 6:41:16 AM PDT by Kaslin
According to the United States General Social Survey, women’s overall level of happiness has dropped since 1972. Two professors at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania released a paper exploring female happiness, “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness,” this spring which garnered national press attention. One of the major findings in this study is that women’s happiness has declined both compared to 35 years ago and compared to men’s happiness.
This study has prompted me to ask once again—Is feminism good for women? Does feminism make women happier? What does feminism hold for me?
I began asking these questions five years ago. I had just returned for my third year of college at the University of Virginia (UVA) after an internship in Washington, D.C. During my time in D.C., I had enjoyed being surrounded by ambitious conservative women. I sought out a club for conservative women on campus. Much to my disappointment, nothing like this existed, so on September 29, 2004, I founded a book club for conservative women at UVA, the Network of enlightened Women (NeW).
NeW was started to fill a niche on one campus. It turns out there was a need for NeW elsewhere. Within a few months of starting NeW at UVA, women from other campuses contacted me to see if they could start chapters of NeW on their campuses. That began our national expansion. NeW grew steadily—one chapter at a time as more and more women heard about NeW. NeW continues to grow this way.
Today, we are celebrating NeW’s fifth anniversary. In these last five years, NeW has grown to over 15 campuses, held four national conferences in D.C., launched the NeW Blog and been covered by national press such as TIME, The AP and The Washington Post.
NeW’s rapid growth demonstrates on the grassroots level what this study found in surveys: Women are still trying to figure out how to manage our lives. Feminism does not hold all the answers. We want to talk about it.
NeW members regularly discuss the opportunities and challenges facing women today as well as feminism. One of the most popular books that the NeW book clubs read is What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman by Danielle Crittenden. Crittenden exposes how feminism has hurt women today, such as by selling the idea that the key to female happiness is independence. Who Stole Feminism? by Christina Hoff Sommers and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism by Carrie Lukas are two other popular books for NeW chapters. These books resonate with young women, much more so than a radical feminist agenda.
Many NeW chapters even hold campus-wide events to broaden the discussion. Among others, NeW chapters have hosted speakers, held careers panels and sponsored debates. Take Blayne Bennett, the President of the NeW chapter at Arizona State University, for example. She was frustrated by the negative attitude toward men that campus feminists promoted through The Vagina Monologues. In response, she organized a Gentlemen’s Showcase to encourage her peers to talk about chivalry, gentlemen and relations between the sexes. At the Gentlemen’s Showcase, the ladies of NeW honored the top ten most-nominated gentlemen at ASU to show their appreciation for those men who treated women with dignity and respect. This event sparked quite a discussion.
Five years ago, I did not anticipate NeW becoming a national movement. NeW’s success is a product of college women rebelling against the feminist message that dominates campus and trying proactively to find ways to increase their level of happiness. Young women are seeking a new message—one that embraces femininity, acknowledges that there are sex differences and values the role of women as mothers and in the workplace. NeW provides a place for women to explore this message and seeks to turn women in a NeW direction—one that will lead to an increase in women’s happiness.
I grew up in a household where my femininity was celebrated along with my intelligence and independence. I had the most wonderful and devoted of fathers, a fiercely independent mother (about whom my father remarked on their 25th Anniversary, “Faye, I can honestly say in 25 years, I've often felt like murder, but I've never been bored.” He encouraged us to be all we could, do whatever we set our minds to and was truly (and I think this is important) PROUD of us.
My father's mother was born blind. He watched her navigate life with no resources (the blind were homebound or institutionalized). He watched her bravely face whatever life handed her and realized that the strengths women have are boundless for a truly devoted husband and child.
It's not that we want to be better or more successful than men, but we don't want to be told we are less than they. We are equal BUT different. I celebrate the masculine (really enjoy it on all levels), but I despise extremes on either end. Women complete men, and men complete women.
****...when you spend enough time reading magazines and watching daytime talk shows that are all reinforcing the idea that your life sucks!****
How true; we have replaced traditional family influences with *Group think*. We should have learned by now that indoctrination is the most destructive force in human history...regardless of its benign or malignant beginnings.
We have seen religion twisted into evil cults and womens’ suffrage turned into revulsion of our sons & brothers.
Mass communication - ain’t it great?
If exercise and eating your vegetables made you live longer than almost all 100+ people would be body building vegetarians, and yet there are none. We are being lied to.
Feminism is robbing them of that.
Women like men like this because this is how both sexes were created. The man IS the "head" of the family, not "should be", "IS". Now, that's not saying you'll be good at it... Any time the woman tries to be this "head", the result is a two-headed freak, and the consequences are less than desirable.
Women, living within God's intent, you're not of any LESS worth, you're of DIFFERENT PURPOSE than the man. Read Prov 31:10 for a good description of a successful woman. She keeps the family and household together and is at the same time an entrepeneur.
Your response really touched me. The story of your grandmother tugs at my heart, but inspires me to no end! I think that I wasn’t truly happy in the business world because there was something missing, I never knew what until I saw my baby’s face for the forst time. He needed me, and it turns out...I needed him too.
Happiness comes from sacrifice, not possession.
Happiness is a consequece, not a goal.
Feminism is not really about women, but a mere vehicle designed by radicals to undermine the family, the morals, and the established order of American society in order to ripen it for the attempted Communist coup we are currently experiencing. The women who fell for any part of this nonsense were mere “useful idiots”, as were the men who went along.
That's a pretty low-life attitude for what was supposed to be the “head” of the family. He never held a job, retired at 57 and I carried the load. He may not be an evil man, but he was one pi$$-poor husband and father. We are reconciled now, he lives in my home (bought and paid for by me), has few, if any responsibilities, except his son has had a chance to “know” his father. I don't live in unforgiveness (as it is poisonous), but if the Good Lord asked me to sum up his job as a husband and father, I'd have to say, “No comment.” I really would ask to be excused, as I'd hope for his eternal life in heaven, but it wouldn't be by my testimony — only God's Son's mercy. Had I been left to my own brand of justice (without Christianity), I'd have been kicking a$$ and taking names, but if I want forgiveness, I'd better be willing to give it, as well.
As the age of Obama drags on I suspect everyone's happiness level will decline, and everyone will be scratching their heads wondering why.
“What does feminism hold for me?”
That’s easy: Psychological and economic rents.
Maybe because we are taxed to death, forcing many of us to go to work instead of stay home and raise our children? If my taxes weren’t so insane, my husband and I could live well on his income. I could stay home with my son instead of working full time. I love my job, but the stress of being full time mommy, wife and employee gets to me sometimes.
WOW! Do you have a sister? .... Only kidding. Seriously, I never understand the attitude of some of these people who refuse to work.
All I ever wanted was to idolize my mate, raise his children, and make a beautiful peaceful home — full of love, laughter and peace. I got two out of three, and the Good Lord has provided me with all I need — down to the smallest detail. God's generosity and mercy has given me all I need to be generous and merciful. My home-again husband made me strong and resourceful.
I have no regrets (okay, maybe one). I'd just once like to hear from the man I love/loved, “I'm proud of you,” and I'd like a hug.
Prayers for your strength. Prayers for our country. Prayers for you three to stay strong and healthy. Hug them both tonight, long and tenderly. Life isn’t for the faint-hearted. It takes everything you’ve got and, if you’re lucky and blessed, you’ll have all you need. One is strong, two is stronger, yet. Three is unbreakable.
“Women LIKE men who will provide for them, take care of them, and make the big decisions”
Mine does!
Is there actually going to be a distinct Asian population in 20 years in the US?
Look at the change in Diet, we went from enjoying Animal fat, Meat, Cheese to having those foods demonized in favor of whole grain low fat with all those corn abominations.
Look at us during the stone age, we basically ate root veggies,leaves, fruits, Meat and Nuts.
Roles that are not assigned a value determined by men. You might make a good co-captain, but there are no job openings for a dictator.
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