A Woman's Worth
by: Arrianne Martin Cuadrado

        No one is safe from judgment. No one is safe from ignorance. No one is safe from inequality. This is why I must state that Feminism benefits both females and males by fighting against the false and unequal views developed through a history of male domination and a stern set of rules. These are rules that place a man at the head of the house and a woman wiping at his feet. There are many interpretations of feminism that meet many competing interests for women on this earth, but the truest form of feminism does not focus on personal interests, but rather focuses on a universal belief that no two people are equal or better than anyone else. Privileges should only come to those who have earned it and we should not earn these privileges by simply being male.

        Feminism may be considered obsolete and unnecessary to those who prefer to ignore that there are flaws in the society they are living in; a preferable point of view for those prescribing to the thought that ignorance is bliss. In reality, ignorance does not create bliss or a peaceful way to live your life. A choice for ignorance equals a choice to bringing hell on earth. Hell is a place where punishment can come to even the unlucky innocent who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. In history, the only place that ever seemed consistently right for a women was a man's bed, a husband's bed, where there was a duty to be completed even if there was a lack of love or compassion. If a woman could not act as a vessel to bare children, her value as a living creature could become nothing, as if her purpose for life could never be met. A woman who could not have children with one man could live with this shame without discovering that the real reason she could not conceive may not have been any fault of her own, but a fault of the man she was suppose to serve. Who would dare to question a man's fertility? As for being in the wrong time- If you believe there is nothing that could be improved on in this world about the way that women live in every country, then this is a good time for, equally, man and woman.

        Women have often been considered a burden for man to bare. Maybe this assessment of women as a burden stems from the need to define the difference between man and woman. The need to define differences has always been a fatal flaw of human kind since people often also forget to consider how impossible a task that is. If no two people are exactly the same how can we divide an entire world full of life into two categories as either man or woman. People are not only a gender but this physical aspect is always emphasized over a person's actual attributes. Every person has a personality, a culture, a genealogy, and a personal history that is uniquely their own. Easy definitions and stereotypes are so inaccurate. And what is gender classification but just an easy way to stereotype the roles and abilities between sexes? A human being's soul and values are what counts and not their biology. Absolute equality does not exist and I am not saying it should because that would be the end to individuality and we would be nothing but mirror images (like an army of robots). What I am urging is that diversity in every single human being be acknowledged and the need for classifications, to put people into groups, become thought of as a sinful waste of brain power. It is a sin to think of man or woman as superior beings as much as it is a sin to consider one race superior to another. Maybe even more of a sin since gender classification is an even smaller ratio than classification by race.

        If women grow up in a society where they are not given equal privileges to men and are taught to follow one role as women it is hard to fight to be something else, something more. To directly consider the goal of Feminism is as simple as this: Start everyone off on a level playing field. Forget about the stereotype of being macho or feminine due to gender. These qualities limit everyone whom they are applied to. Let there be no more women and men based identities, but intellectuals with every equal opportunity to shape the world. The only way to truly be knowledgeable of and understand the issues affecting us today is by gathering information that is not spoon fed to us, by the media or government organizations that choose what problems they think we should be aware of. Is the number of children a celebrity has more important than a bill being passed in Congress that may make our national deficit worse and increase our taxes? Bell hooks (a feminist activist) expressed how views of the feminist movement are generally understood or developed when she wrote, “When I ask…folks about the feminist books or magazines they read, when I ask them about the feminist talks they have heard, about the feminist activities they know, they respond by letting me know that everything they know about feminism has come into their lives third hand, that they really have not come close enough to the feminists movement to know what really happens, what it's really about” (105).What are we suppose to do when the message of a movement doesn't have the strength of words that are willingly heard and spread? What are we suppose to do when people who think they already know it all refuse to listen and open their minds to new points of view or different perspectives? One of the hardest battles to win is a battle that is being fought against those too stubborn to listen and use the tool of collected knowledge and reason. Especially if people aren't even acknowledging that there is a problem or understand how they are being affected/effected by a problem. Isn't it always said that the first step in solving a problem is actually admitting that you have one? So, to those who are actually admitting there's a problem, the next step is to take an active step forward in actually trying to solve it in your own life. Then you can move on to the lives of others.

        The only reality I am familiar with is my own. This is a statement that most people would apply to themselves because the lives that we are personally living in are more familiar to us than the lifestyles of others. Making us think that the problems we face are the worst in the world while forgetting that the problems we may face in our small community are not going to be the same in another country. It is ok to pay attention to ones own life but we must remember to not forget that there are people elsewhere facing more difficult situations and be thankful for the lives that we are living. This may sometimes be difficult when selfishness rules over self awareness; when getting what we want becomes more important than the actions we did or didn't commit in the pursuit of our own personal gain. Feminism is something that helps us rise up to be better people who are self aware; Aware of not only the effects of our actions but aware that ignoring the hardships of others is allowing the practice of selfishness.

        Be aware that the women of the U.S. have come a long way in gaining equality but also be aware that this isn't the only country where women have had to fight and are still fighting to this day for equality among men. There is a school called Takarazuka in Japan. This is an all girl school where girls get to choose their gender identity as either men or women and after making this choice they are taught the typical mannerisms to be more convincing in their chosen gender for when they act in all girl staffed performances. At this school women were given the choice to become a man. It's a rather radical concept but it is one that was not only accepted in Japan but created a large amount of demand for women wanting to join this school. In the documentary called “Dream Girls” we can see in to this world of women living as both genders. One of the women interviewed said “In normal life we have to stay in the background” but at the school they did not have to follow the social order of “women respect and serve men” as “boss of the house” but could shine as the person they chose to be at that school. It was a place that had the potential to free women from the order typical to their society. Being aware of a place like this in another country can teach us the lesson that no one is alone when fighting for the right to choose how we want to live. That is really what any movement like Feminism is; the right to choose and live with happiness without having to follow rules that we had no say in making.

        After years of marching and organizing groups for resistance against unfair treatment, has the feminist movement really been met with success in this democrat society that I call my home? I am American and as such I feel that every U.S. citizen should ask themselves if women have really gained the craved for and dreamed of respect that had for so long been kept to a measured minimum befitting the role we were fated to meet. This was a question I had to ask myself once I realized that I had been practicing a kind of acceptance of the social order that has been ruling over my own life. As a woman, there are people who fully expect my first priority to be the pursuit of creating a home and giving birth to a family, while at the same time, expecting me to put my career in second place because I will supposedly have a supporting husband. However, I have always believed that a relationship should not only be focused on one road to matrimony in order to ensure a concrete foundation. Also, I understand that raising a child alone can be hard, but why look down on those who would choose to do so? If I chose to take such a path I am sure I would have the support of my family. However, I know that in their developed point of view, I would be pitied for my lack of a male influence in the household instead of respected for my strength to take on such a great responsibility. Women are forced to evaluate themselves on a regular basis due to common place attempts to put women where they belong . Who first ordained the household to be a woman's only proper station of work? In this society, jobs are still suppose to be second place once a woman has added children to her household. If a mother does not devote every waking minute to the care of her child and holds onto her job she may be considered an unfit parent, while on the other hand, if a man who hardly pays attention to his children because he is working, he is considered to be a good provider.

        The principal belief in feminism is not to raise individuals to positions simply because of their gender or race, but to give individuals the choice of raising themselves to at least meet the standard positions which they have qualified for and not be turned away on pre-developed/judged positions. Of course people are pinned down by prejudice backgrounds created by the past like African Americans who still have to fight against a history of oppression. These backgrounds which lead me to assume that there are plenty of ignorant individuals who would sooner hire a white woman if the other choice was a woman of African American decent. If there was a list of every individual held back by preconceived notions females, colored and transgender citizens would be right at the top. It is important that we all become “visionary” feminists fighting not only the battles that will affect us now, but a war that will have long lasting affects into the future. Without the visionary feminists of our past women would not be able to wear pants, vote or go to college. Feminism fights against the separation of females from civil rights. A true feminist can not be anti-abortion because not having the power to control our own body doesn't only violate our natural rights, but our civil rights. Women must fight until the world can see things without eyes clouded by the mud of oppression and indignity.

Works Cited

Dream Girls . Dir. Kim Longinotto & Jano Williams. Women Making Movies, 1994.

Hooks, Bell. “Coming Closer To Feminism”. Values and Changes In A Diverse Society. Santa Cruz: UCSC, 2007.