The universe seems to be feeding me a lot of things to think about lately on the topic of gender equality. This has taken on special meaning as I watch my three granddaughters grow up and think about how they see themselves and their future roles in the world.
A favorite quote of mine comes from Walt Disney: "If you can dream it, you can do it." Do my granddaughters have the same lofty dreams as boys their age? I sure hope so.
Their mothers (my daughters-in-law) are great role models, both with responsible jobs and an active interest in civic life which was impacted but not impeded by bearing and raising their children in cooperation with their husbands. Thinking back to my mother’s life as she was raising me, I see what a revolutionary change has occurred. Household chores take far less time today. My clan visit restaurants and do take-out far more often than mom did, and they also have microwavable food, salads in a bag, etc. A Roomba robot vacuum cleaner will keep your floors clean and mom’s hand-wringer washing machine has been replaced by a modern variety that you set and walk away – along with a dishwasher too. And women have far more opportunities for careers. There are more women attending American universities today than men.
But old thinking is hard to change. This week I ran across two video spots with powerful messages about how we program young girls. Please take a couple of minutes and watch each of them.
http://youtu.be/XP3cyRRAfX0 http://youtu.be/XjJQBjWYDTs
Over the past decades we have all become conscious of subtle prejudice in our language. Two examples:
Using the pronoun “he” when referring to people who perform tasks unless the task is cooking, washing or ironing.
Words like chairman and stewardess to stereotype who performs certain jobs, or nurse vs. male nurse.
And there is one I haven’t heard discussed, but it just occurred to me. Universities where men and women study together are referred to as co-ed schools, and the women are called the co-eds. Does that have the same meaning as co-pilot in an airplane – the second ranking one?
Our society needs all the brainpower it can get to handle the big challenges we face. Let’s not discourage our daughters and granddaughters from working hard to be whatever they want to be. The opportunities and the needs are limitless.
