Equal Rights: The Downfall of the Independent Woman

I love to watch the old re-runs of shows like, "Leave It to Beaver," and "The Brady Bunch," because they remind me of a time when life had to be easier for women. Yes women had to fight for equal rights and even now the battle has not been completely won. There are people who assume that equal rights mean that women want to be able to do everything in the world on their own .When women asked for equal rights they really were asking for the opportunity to be seen and respected for who they are and to not be viewed as the inferior sex. The independent woman of today has many more rights and opportunities than women in the past. On the other hand, this has almost created more problems for some women. It used to be that men were expected to be the family's provider. Men knew how to take care of their families both financially and physically. Women supported their families by cooking, cleaning, and just making sure everyone's needs were met. A family was a well defined team that worked together to ensure that everyone had what they needed.

Today women still cook, clean, and take care of the home and family. In addition to these more traditional roles, the responsibilities have gotten even bigger. I never saw an episode of Leave it to Beaver where Ward came home and June asked him what was for dinner after she sat on the couch all day watching television. Today's woman not only works in the house, but she works outside of the home as well. She spends all day in constricting nylons and heels taking orders for a male boss and then comes home and continues working. A woman's work in never done! Unfortunately the more independent a woman becomes the more responsibilities that she is given.

It seems that just about everyone I know is a single mom. These women face a great deal of work and disrespect from the outside world. They are the provider, disciplinarian, and nurturer. Granted, there are some single fathers out there. I definitely respect these men and can feel their pains and frustrations. Unfortunately, this is not the majority of the fathers in the world today. There are so many fathers who are either weekend dads or completely absent. It seems that these are the men who can barely take care of themselves, let alone a family.

Yes women have asked for equal rights and opportunities, but it seems like the only thing they got was more work and responsibilities. Many women are still seen as sex objects, denied promotions based on gender, and abused. Many men still view women as the weaker sex and believe that they are less capable than their male counterparts. I just don't understand how these are the same men who sit on the couch watching football, drinking beer and still expect a woman to take care of them 24/7.

Today marriages have a 50% divorce rate. Many teenagers don't graduate high school. Depression is also a serious disease among women. All of these things are blamed on the woman. If only women did more to keep their husband happy. It is often said that if a man cheats it's because of something that the women did or didn't do. Rarely are men forced to take responsibility for their own actions. Some people say that if women would spend more time with their children they would finish school and grow up to be productive members of society. There is always some excuse from someone as to why women are responsible for all of the problems of the world. I find this hard to believe in a world where world where we are yet to have a woman president. The majority of the decisions made in the world are made by middle-aged men who would not survive a single second in a woman's shoes. Yet these are the same men who blame women for everything that goes wrong in the world. These are the men who want to tell women what they can and can't do with their body, mind, and time, but do nothing to help.

So the next time you hear a man complaining about a woman, ask him what he has done for her lately. Ask him when was the last time he cooked, cleaned, or gave birth? When did he suffer PMS and still have to go to work and smile all day long? Instead of judging women on everything that they can't do, I think it's time to start appreciating them for everything they do. We all know someone who is a super woman. She may be your mom, sister, or just a friend. Regardless, of who she is I am sure all she wants is a little more help and respect and a little less headache and heartache. A man could be surprised how far a little kindness, help, and respect can go with a woman.