SchrodingersCat
Active member
I'm always surprised when a guy is surprised that women still feel oppressed in our society. Even though a woman does feel empowered in her own life, the overtones of oppression are still everywhere we look, whether it's about what we wear, what career we choose, where we can walk alone without fear, or how many sexual partners we have.
Funny.... I'm a woman, and I am also surprised whenever a woman still feels particularly oppressed in our society.
Everyone is oppressed in our society. Sure, women face challenges by virtue of being women, but so do men by virtue of being men. Simple example: I can choose to wear either a skirt or pants to school tomorrow, and no one will blink. But if my classmate Adam shows up in a dress, it's going to cause such a stir.
When a woman becomes a doctor or a lawyer, she's "empowered." When a man becomes a nurse, it's "he couldn't get into med school." If he chooses to be a flower arranger or dance instructor, he's "probably gay."
Throughout my academic career, I've received 3 scholarships that were reserved for women only. If someone tried to put out a scholarship for men only, it would be labelled as discrimination.
I don't feel oppressed by what I wear, what career I choose, or where I can walk. Sure, I don't want to go hitchhiking alone, but that's not a societal oppression, it's a physiological "Men have more muscle mass than me and are more prone to being rapists and serial killers" reality. And my husband is more afraid to walk in the "bad parts of town" than I am.
I've completed one degree in math and I'm completing another in physics. I went to a "Women in Physics" conference this summer and was blown away by how much everyone felt so... helpless! I don't know if I've just always been oblivious to the fact that I'm one of the only girls in my classes, or if I noticed and just didn't give a crap because it's not a big deal. But I think half the problem of this "women are so oppressed" garbage is that some women are still playing our entire gender out to be the victim. As long as we keep playing to this "Damsel in Distress" role, then why be so surprised if that's how you're treated?
Truth of the matter is, anyone with a computer and an internet connection is too rich to be truly oppressed. If you feel oppressed "everywhere you look" then it's because you're choosing to perceive things that way. I have never felt oppressed in my life. I live in Redneck-central, I am in the hard-sciences surrounded by engineers, I see the same magazines as everyone, and yet I feel completely empowered to do whatever I choose to do in this life.
I'm in one of the most "male-dominated" fields on the planet... For the record, there are far fewer female physicists than doctors or lawyers or CEOs. And it's not because the departments won't let them in, it's because they're choosing not to go. I have yet to speak to a single woman in either math or physics or engineering who has ever felt like a door was closed in her face because of her gender. I've been encouraged by every supervisor to continue in this field, and have never once had it suggested, implied, or in any other way indicated that my gender could hold me back in the slightest from achieving my goals. It's all about attitude, baby!
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