Courtesy of I. Spyrou
I am a feminist. I always have been. There was never a moment in my life where I didn’t think that I was able to achieve what my male counterparts could, and I am extremely fortunate for that.
Nonetheless sexism still exists, and my approach is that the responsibility of the Feminist is to maintain and advance the fight of those before us –to continue writing, marching, and arguing for our movement. The concept is straightforward, yet I believe that that reality is not reminded to us (as a Feminist people, not only women), enough.
In that same vein, since leaving secondary school, I’ve caught myself sparsely (yes, I hold that privilege), but increasingly being scared of the contrasting principles within gender-hood that social mores still hold me to. These anxieties have definitely increased since the SCOTUS decision concerning Roe V. Wade, this June 24th.
So, in the temptation to shy away from them (and since Simone is no longer here to do God’s work), with the voices of the women who inspire me in my ears, I’m opening the discussion.
My English literature classes in the last two years of secondary school were centered around feminist writing –one of the few things I had in common with my mother at the time was our shared love for the latter. (When she isn’t recommending some new Brontë-esque canon.) She is a successful woman within her field, which happens to be at the heart of EU bureaucracy.
Courtesy. of I.Spyrou
Despite being a trailblazing vixen in her own right, we oft-times have come to disagreements concerning discrimination against women today.
In many discussions regarding modern feminism, she felt like we had done enough, and that most current “western” waves were bordering misandry. This is an arguable point, but it was in hearing it come out of the mouth of a “powerful” woman as a kind of generalisation that I now understand it was perhaps the voice of privilege –or blindness– that was speaking. My sixteen-year-old self, who was coming to grips with what feminism meant to me, strongly disagreed.
Ladies, gentlemen, dear non-binary folk, I am writing you this from Western-Europe, circa 21st century –one of the greatest places in the history to be a woman! This rhetoric is celebrated by many, including my mother. I still have her voice in my head: “you should be grateful for the situation you find yourself in –you could have been married by now in another time and place.”
This is objectively true –we don’t have to deal with the fear of witch trials like our ancestors, or being deprived of an education, like our counterparts in Afghanistan. Whilst the issue of women depicted as the sinful housewife is obviously more pressing than others –every problem is part of a bigger picture, which is what I am going to ponder upon here today.
Within the quality discourse proclaimed and topics exchanged, it struck me once again that after I leave my university bubble, I will have to deal with the backwards preconceptions of what a womanly space should fill in the workplace – it makes me feel ill.
As I write this sentence it happens to be Simone de Beauvoir’s birthday (disclaimer I don’t agree with all of her standpoints but “One is not born a woman one becomes a woman” has been seared into my mind like gospel), and in many aspects this article is dedicated to her, along with my sister, my mother and every other woman I look up to and want to set an example for.
At my last semester at Sciences Po, I had the privilege of witnessing a conference featuring four successful women in various professional fields, shedding light upon such crucial subjects within the 3rd wave feminist movement that we find ourselves still plighting for today.
Amongst the topics discussed at this seminar, one which strikes me very much is that of “pretty privilege”. I want to take a moment to deconstruct this concept – one that reduces women to their physical appearances, as well as pins them against one another in an unhealthy competition to fill into a given model.
Granted, men feel societal pressure to look and present a certain way (especially in the workplace) but not to the same extent. To paraphrase an interviewee at the SPK conference who works in sports television journalism: “If my colleague is fat, it will be remarked –if I was fat, I wouldn’t have been hired”. To exemplify the issue of fat-phobia is one that touches all genders, but young women are held to a higher standard to adhere to a certain ideal of beauty –lest there isn’t some more depth to her that could outweigh her looks.
Courtesy of I.Spyrou
Then the situation turns further problematic: on the one hand more attractive women are more likely to land a job (as are men) – but in turn, their legitimacy to hold that position will then be questioned, as a traditionally attractive woman in a serious position, pondering on whether she’s there due to merit, or due to a nice “promotion canapé”. This is the root of many plights women face daily, but especially in the workplace.
The sad reality is that it isn’t only men who do this –it is women too. Female rivalry is a nasty competition stemming (in my opinion) from the pressure to be the female representation –to fill a quota in a certain field, and other women are often jealous of the woman at the table, feeding into the misogyny that is rooted in women’s value only existing when it is recognised by men.
Another fascinating issue that was spoken about was the self-consciousness a woman feels when taking up space. “Speak up! We can’t hear you!”, yells the male counterpart of a female colleague just when she finally musters up the courage to say one of the many points in her notepad.
Courtesy of I.Spyrou
Truth is that, even in this day and age, it’s difficult for women, especially those just starting a career, to feel confident hearing their own voice in a panel-room. Imposter syndrome is a real thing and rings especially true for women in male dominated fields such as sports, who tremble in their trainers in fear of a making a mistake, or a slip-of-the-tongue that will be spoken amount for months later by her colleagues –using her mistake to feed their superiority complex.
Nasty.
Let’s talk about an actual area, where men and women are biologically different – reproduction. My tummy twists a little when I think of getting pregnant before “the time is right”. This is for multiple reasons – one of them tied to job prospects.
Courtesy of I.Spyrou
The dual dedication to motherhood and career is a balancing act that deserves its own circus-tent. It’s so impressive to watch. Accomplishing both raising a child and nurturing a career should be celebrated and aided by the state in an important manner so as to alleviate the pressure that can take a toll on both mother and the baby. It is not a secret that employees prefer to hire men, or that they’re more likely to be hired for a job they’re overqualified for.
Why is this?
Let’s open the conversation about the stigma that exists around falling pregnant –the uncontrollable mood-swings, the tiredness (laziness), the hysteria. Let’s bring to the table the lower hire-rate due to the idea, a woman is less productive than a man due to her existing first and foremost as a child-bearing being, is one that must be dismantled.
On a similar note, there is also work left in the fight against the stigma around not having children. My sister is a 25-year-old doctor-in-training; she saves lives every single day. And so do those around her, occupying one of the hardest jobs you can possibly have. Nonetheless, she too is met with the pressure of the biological clock, which for some reason in Greece is set hands forward as opposed to Northern Europe.
The fact that Greece is one of the worst countries in the EU in terms of gender-equality frustrates me deeply, but it comes as no surprise.
“When will you find a man? When will you have kids? When are you planning on starting a family? Your organs will be good for nothing soon enough.” It’s exhausting to think of because the reality is so blatantly obvious: despite the notable progress that has been made, the brain is still to a great extent perceived as the center of the male body, whereas the ovary is that of the woman’s.
This isn’t just a factor of innocent curiosity –people will not converse about these topics with their male counterparts the way they do with women. The idea of the traditional nuclear family is so strong that you simply will not catch 54-year-old Stavros from the oncology department being concerned about 30-year-old Giannis, from the surgery department’s lineage –unless they’re excited about another son coming into the family. If this is an issue for women in Greece, it is an issue for women everywhere –the EU and beyond.
These are double standards that we’ve all grown up with, that we’re all familiar with, but that are becoming less amusing as the legal protection of our reproductive rights dwindles on the international stage, sprouting fear in women everywhere, and making us wonder how fragile our legal status actually is.
I am an advocate for positive discrimination in the name of equity and representation –certainly– but we have to keep pushing the envelope. We need more concrete measures that are employed in countries where gender-equality is most prosperous, like Scandinavia.
As the women touched upon at a recent conference I attended, I too am convinced that progressive childcare and further emphasis on dual parental leave laws would make a difference in paving the way to a more equal work environment. Do not rush to put down your pitchforks.
About the Article
Reflections of a women on the impact of the recent Supreme Court decision reversing Roe vs. Wade.
