On Gender Politics
I’ve been pondering gender politics. Two things kicked off this line of reasoning. First, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming ‘Women In Technology’ panel discussion at Creative Camp and second, this piece by Peggy Orenstein from the New York Times magazine.
At times, gender politicking annoys the hell out of me. A lot of so-called modern feminists are obsessed with attributing blame. It’s so much easier than actually affect change, isn’t it? Modern feminists need to reassess where femininity fits into the picture.
I’ve come up with some talking points.
- Has the economic imperative to have women in the workplace had more impact in achieving equitable working rights than the feminist movement? Look to the rush to work during WW2 in filling positions vacated by fighting men.
- Why is modern feminism so obsessed with men? Shouldn’t we be looking at promoting gender neutral policies and not bitching at eons of discrimination, blaming today’s men.
- What kind of damage would instituting a gender quota system of filling open headcount in both male and female dominated workplaces? This artificial measure undermines women in male-dominated workplaces (and vice versa), right? I wonder what impact it has on the quality of service.