Do you know in what year the Queensland Government was not longer able to discriminate against married female teachers? Think about a little while, have an educated guess and I will tell you at the end of this post.
The other dreaded F word.
Feminism.
I am a feminist because the man who did the same job as me was a whole pay scale above me. I did not even know. I assumed we were the same until it came up in conversation one day. Somehow developing sport and recreation for a community is more valuable than developing a community able to support vulnerable people. That is how the gender pay gap works. Women’s work is undervalued.
I am a feminist because when a rape was recently being discussed at a party (like not even appropriate) most people in the circle of conversation wanted to know what she was doing and felt a bit sorry for him.
I am a feminist because a man one day said to me he was a victim of financial abuse because his ex-wife wanted one of their houses in the divorce settlement.
I am a feminist because when I look around the female-dominated industry I work in, men are over-represented in management.
I am a feminist because I want to choose whether I stay at home or go to work after my children are born and not have my decision the subject of an economic debate and how much I do or don’t contribute to the economy.
I am a feminist because there are times when I feel my intelligence, ability, and opinion is irrelevant or questioned because I am a woman. Men may argue this does not happen. I guess you have to be the on the receiving end to notice.
I am a feminist because a scold’s bridle was a real thing. I am a feminist because I have been conditioned to feel like society expects me to be seen and not heard and I should be careful about when I speak up. That even writing this post feels a little frightening.
I am a feminist because when I fill in a form there is a box that says Miss, Ms or Mrs when my marital status is utterly irrelevant. A man is only ever a Mr.
I am a feminist because the personal is political. Because the things that happen to me in my life are a product of a society’s structures and attitudes and those structures and attitudes are the product of patriarchy.
I am a feminist because it was not until 1981 that female teachers were no longer allowed to be discriminated against in job application because they were married. That means every teacher I ever had taught in this regime of discrimination. How close was your guess?
I am a feminist because I believe my body belongs to me and no one else. I am a feminist because I believe women are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. I am a feminist because…your reasons and so many more! Loved this post.
I guessed 1985 so I was pretty close. It’s shameful that discrimination was allowed for that long.
You got me thinking, do men ever have to declare that their body belongs to them or do they never feel otherwise?