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Still a long road to gender equality

Re: Feminism gone too far in Canada, Off the Notepad, March 4, 2011.

Erin Cardone says, “let’s not take women’s rights too far.” Yeah, we wouldn’t want to actually be equal or anything.

Her column goes on about how glad she is for feminism, but laments that the outcomes haven’t been perfect.

Isn’t that just a sign that we need to continue to work harder for equality? She complains that women are overburdened because they work at home and out of the home. Instead of blaming this on feminism, why not work harder at making the workplace more family friendly.

Instead of forcing women into traditionally male domains, why not push to make those domains more mom-friendly? That, in turn, will make them more dad-friendly.

If dads can take time off work for appointments without worrying about their upward mobility, they’ll be able to take more of a role in child-rearing and take some pressure off women.

We still need feminism. Women don’t make the money men make, they don’t rise to the same levels men do and they often don’t go into maths and sciences.

We’re battered, raped and murdered at numbers way higher than men. Police and judges blame us for it. We’re not trying to get more than men have. We’re fighting for equality for all. I cannot fathom why Cardone thinks otherwise. Because in one field (domestic custody) we do better than men?

That judges think we’re better caregivers than men is simply more of the same stereotyping. Men can be hurt by patriarchy too. Feminism’s goal hasn’t changed. We just want to be treated with the same respect that men get.

Shannon West

Langford