Hell, Yes: Women’s History Relevant All Year

I came across this article today from The Centre Daily Times in Pennsylvania, written by Nalini Krishnankutty. Entitled Women's History Relevant All Year, it does a nice job of breaking down the basic issues involving the status of women in the United States. Her number one question goes something like this: "Doesn't it tell us something that women are a majority of the population but still a minority in government leadership?"

This is a bottom-line fact that feminists never forget -- when a majority of the population play a minority role in representative government, something is wrong. Equality has not been reached. Yet, some people in the men's movement tend to assume right off the bat that equality has been obtained, and not only that, men are now at a disadvantage. Riiight. What's scary is that many who say these things, truly believe them. Um yeah, maybe your male privilege is showing? And it's a privilege so powerful and blinding, by the way, that you might not even be aware of it?

Krishnankutty also reminds us that the theme of the 2009 Women's History Month was "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet," and highlights the women scientists and ecofeminists who have consistently been at the forefront of the environmental movement, including Ellen Swallow Richards, Maria Sanford, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Rachel Carson, Grace Thorpe, and Vandana Shiva. All except Shiva, who Krishnankutty focuses on herself, were acknowledged by President Obama in his Women’s History Month proclamation. Check it out... it's a good read.

And check out Krishnankutty's article if you get the chance. It's a simple yet effective example of how mainstream and accessible feminism can be.

Here's also a blog post by Krishnankutty I found thought-provoking: Could Gender Diversity Have Lessened the Financial Crisis? Interesting stuff.