From Eliyahu
Balancing 'this' against 'that' seems to be an
ever-present challenge of modern life. One such dichotomy women face today
involves the claims of feminism as opposed to traditional values, and more
especially, Biblical values. This is not a simple black and white choice because
society has altered expectations on women in accord with a feminist mindset,
while at the same time retaining some important traditional views. Many women
feel caught in the middle, trying to balance the fallout the opposing positions
bring into their lives. Before we get into that though, lets take a look at how
social expectations have changed over the course of one lifetime.
Probably the most influential feminist voice of
the 1960s was Betty Friedan. Her 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique,
challenged the traditional roles of women that most women of that era embraced,
claiming that women were oppressed and that many women felt great
dissatisfaction as housewives.
While the media, Hollywood, and the upper class
fully bought into Friedan's work, Friedan's ideas also had their critics. Of
course there were objections on Biblical grounds. Apart from that, some argued
that Friedan's book primarily addressed the concerns of white, middle-class,
educated women, while neglecting the experiences of women of color,
working-class women, and those from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Some saw Friedan's focus as elitist, feeling it
did not recognize the realities of the lives of most women. However, the fact
that the elites and celebrities adopted the feminist views of Friedan set the
pace for many, if not most, ordinary women who followed the trends of those they
viewed as their betters. Upon accepting the view of themselves as victims of
oppression, millions of women joined the women's liberation movement, or were
influenced by it. Once it became accepted that being a housewife in the home was
akin to being a slave, it naturally followed that a woman must work outside the
home to find freedom, satisfaction and self-worth. This brought on many changes
in society.
While ideals such as equal pay for equal work
are only fair, the women's liberation movement went far beyond that. The change
in society brought on by feminism created some major problems for families. For
example, in 1959, the divorce rate in the United States was approximately 2
divorces per 1,000 people. After the related social changes over the next 40
years, the divorce rate in the United States in the year 2000 was
approximately 4 divorces per 1,000 people - that's about double what it had been
before feminism came on the scene. That's a lot of added stress on men and
women, not to mention the pain caused to children from family breakups, and the
negative effect on society as a whole. All of this domestic chaos has left many
people with a dim view of marriage, which view itself breaks down families and
family values for unmarried people as well. The conflict between the
progressivism largely spawned by feminism, and traditional family values, has
caused unprecedented division among the people of all western nations.
Of course, if you are a woman in the workplace,
which many women these days must be to survive, you may be expected to be a
feminist, even if you aren't. It can seem like literally all women are required
to be feminists. Actually though, a growing number of women have, or are in the
process, of rejecting feminism. I wanted to check this out and found
Category: female critics of feminism at Wikipedia which includes 116
pages listing such women - most, if not all, being famous women!
OK, with this background lets return to the
dichotomy many women still face today balancing the claims of feminism as
opposed to traditional values, and more especially, Biblical values regarding
moms and families. Has a lifetime of feminism erased traditional family values
in the minds of most people? Let's look at available data to find out.
