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I have never claimed equal rights in my home.
I belive in being traditional.
I only work because i have to work. stare
Don't get me wrong.
I am greatful I have the right to vote, and am able to get paid the same as a man gets paid to do my job.
But I also love having my doors opend, and cooking dinner for my hubby.

Ah, feminism.

Where do I start.

I studied large quantities of Medieval Literature for my degree - it was kind of my favourite subject - and I discovered a few things. (Note, this is feminism through the Ages from the perspective of English women because a) I'm English and b) I don't know enough about feminism in other countries to hold a discussion.)

1) Women in England up till about 900 had their own businesses, ordered their own lives, made decisions and crunched numbers till the cows came home. Then, came the Invasion of Frog-Eaters (Biased? not me!!!) and suddenly, with the invasion women's places in society changed. Thanks to a bunch of laws brought in by the French, men began to hold all the coveted high paying titles and jobs and women began to feel the pinch.

2)After 1300, women began to get their own back again. Cos we weren't allowed to fight in battles, war being the province of those with "lances" (yes, it is that phallic) etc, we took over the running of day to day village and town life. Sure, the King was a bloke and most of his Court Advisors were also blokes, but hey. We ran day to day life. Chaucer even wrote a Tale about a woman getting everything her own way (Wife of Bath, for those who are interested.)

3) Then came the horrible period of 1400-1600 ish where the evil witch trials etc really put a downer on women in general and also didn't help us promote our self image that brilliantly.

4) My personal favourite comes next. Mary and Elizabeth. The Tudor Girls. They both demonstrated a strong grip on what they wanted - although Mary was a religious persecuting fanatic for the Catholic side and Lizzie was a Protestant cos it annoyed Mary - and both ruled England. Admittedly, Lizzie had the better record in the history books but let's face it, she embodied the feminist principles of her age - be better than the blokes and win wars against foreign countries to prove you're better.

5) Then comes a large period of men ruling again and for some reason becoming slightly bent in their opinions of what women should be. Possibly encouraged by French courts with their ruffles and ribbons and tight waisted dresses, men began to want women to look ornamental. Bleh.

That's pretty much the history of feminism till about 1780. Then of course, Victoria ascended the throne a little later on and totally squahsed any rebellious spirit femenist women had, being as she was, a perfect monarch who mourned her prudish, tight-laced German husband until she died. Women began to be unaware that they were women, orgasms were a no no, ankles could not be shown for fear of fainting fits from Men who were unaccustomed to the sight of them...Gods, it makes you wonder how we managed to survive as a nation, to be honest.

But then....Suffragettes. Thank the Gods for them. Although throwing yourself under a carriage isn't really a great way to die, as a statement it rocks!!!

All in all, the lesson I have learnt from feminism is - You Can't Keep Women Down. Ever. Despite your trying.

We don't want to rule solo, we want to rule side by side. And if poss, we'd like men to be able to experience birth just once to get over the self-absorbed "it can't hurt that much" whining.

For one, let me say that we did not fight for these right... our ansestors did, would I have done it, I have no clue.. but the point is that you can't blame us for what the dead have done.

I, personaly, wear a bra... but not to give myself more power than men. No, men didn't really start that, and if they had.. it'd be our choice to wear them or not.

I don't want attention to my breast... some do, I hate them. People who wear push-up bras want to show off... I could care less if I didn't have them ^^

I don't want to be a housewife, so I find it weird, but I know to some people... that's all they want to do. I don't care, they can if they want. Like you said, they can choose.... get a career, or have a family...

I do want to be treated like a guy, but I hold nothing against you or your girlfriend...? Hope it works out for yall! ^^

Very true Ammon

sweatdrop Oh... sorry... I just... figured...

Its in me sig! well modified a bit but i couldnt remember the exact wording and i didnt have room for weep... sweatdrop

Gordon B Hinckley (prophet of same church): "some of the greatest people in all scripture are women"
"never hesitate to compliment, include, and show kindness to women"
"As a father if I am guilty of any imbalance it is in favor of my girls"
--various excerpts from a talk given

Personally, I've never been discriminated against because I'm a girl except for when I'm around disrepectful pervs. I feel that I have equal rights to any man and sometimes I think it's got to be hard for guys because of politcal correctness. 2 people have the same qualifications for a job, one is a male the other is female, the female will be hired because otherwise the employer can be sued for discrimination. No one can ever get in trouble for discriminating against white males in America-they're just about the only people you can pick on in this country... I guess that's good?