The push for women to be the masters of their own lives continues in India.  There are some who would love for women to hide in their homes and continue the domesticated slavery that has been the norm for thousands of years.  But women are fighting such nonsense tooth and nail.

Check out this New York Times Article:

Attack on Women at Indian Bar Intensifies Clash of Cultures

I was just browsing a book entitled, “The Coming Matriarchy” (published in 1981) yesterday and pondering the idea of whether it was possible for women to outnumber men in the workforce. A New York Times article this morning seems to lend fresh credence to this notion.

It cannot be too much of a shock since women have been outnumbering men in attendance at higher educational institutions for a few years now. And now it seems the men are the ones most likely to lose their jobs in this new economic situation.

Let me know what you think about this new development after you read the article.

As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force

When I saw a CNN report on the joint press conference with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, my first thought was, “Hey, its two ladies talking about important stuff – like peace treaties.”

I didn’t even get the whole gist of the news report because I was too excited about seeing two women speaking on the world stage on behalf of millions of humans. After centuries, nay – millennia, of male rule, it is nice to see some feminine leadership at such political heights.

I doubt that I would agree with very much of Condi’s political views, but it is good to see that women have just as much opportunity to mess up the world as men. Although it was a queer change – seeing these two women talking about something on international television besides fashion or diapers – it is a welcome change. A very welcome change.

This is a very interesting read…

A Sisterhood of Workplace Fighting

I wonder where we would be as women if we had all worked toward the same goal of equality for the past 3,000 years. Imagine where humanity would be today if women all worked together toward this goal. Better late than never, eh?

My husband emailed the content below to me this morning. A guy friend emailed it to him. Both of these men respect women and treat them as equals. Cheers to all such men!

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

Men Are Just Happier People–

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can never be pregnant.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another petrol station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don’t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
People never stare at your chest when you’re talking to them.
New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks and engines.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a twelve-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes — one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

I am very excited. After thousands upon thousands of years of human existence, women in the U.S. will finally be assured equal pay to men in 2009 thanks to a new law being passed by our lawmakers.

No words can express at once my complete joy mixed with utter disbelief that this law has to exist at all. On the one hand I am elated that women will finally have the resources needed to fight for their fair share from their employers. On the other hand, I am saddened by the sheer knowledge that we as humans are just now evolving to a place where we realize women are just as capable as men and deserve to be compensated as such.

I suppose I should be far more excited given the fact that just last year the Supreme Court decided against a woman who just wanted her fair share for doing the same job as the men in her company – Goodyear Tire.

I am going to be 40 years old this year and I have never seen men as superior to me, which is why I fight for equality. Because despite my view of equality, there are still so many men who see themselves as superior to me because I am a woman. They were taught this is the natural order of things. They were taught that male rule was God ordained. I was taught the same thing, but I never bought that hogwash and refuse to bend my knee for one second to patriarchy.

Though humans slowly inch toward true equality, it is still far too slow for me. This state of social disparity is like a grotesque infection that no medicine has to this point been able to heal. My oldest daughter will soon enter the workplace and it sickens me to think she might still have to fight for her fair share. She has worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get her degree. I pity any company that would deny her equal pay.

Which makes me realize something very important, although equal pay has thus far alluded many women, the last few decades has given us a voice. A very strong voice. Something we did not have too long ago. And where women have a voice – we can open our mouths and speak our minds, which we do.

Watch this woman speak: Women are equal in all ways. Even the workplace.

Of course I was jubilant when I heard the news that the UK had passed a new law prohibiting forced marriages. However, who could have thought it would make such a splash in such a short amount of time.

Read this article about a woman who was held prisoner by her parents because they wanted to force her to marry a Muslim man instead of the Hindu man to whom she is engaged.

If we keep on in this direction, we may yet find gender equality in the near future.

Now these are my kind of women. After years of fighting and killing, the men of Liberia were not able to find a peaceful resolution. Hmm, I wonder why? Maybe it had something to do with the fighting and killing.

However, the ladies decided they were not going to sit on the sidelines and wait any longer. They took a stand for peace. They took a stand for their children. They took a stand for their country. The following is a trailer for the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Watch and learn guys…

For those who want more info on this documentary, here is the Facebook page.

The “official” word is in and the Catholic Church has declared it a sin for a woman to do anything but have babies.  Isn’t that just peachy?

Abortion is wrong, stem cell research is wrong, in-vitro fertilization is wrong, the morning after pill is wrong and birth control is wrong.  Geesh, I wonder how many women were in on the decision making process concerning this issue?  Well, since it is also a sin for a woman to be a priest – much less a bishop or in any other real leadership position – I bet the number of women involved in this decision are pretty close to zero.

As such, I wish someone would tell me once and for all why – as a woman – I should take anything that comes from the leadership of the Catholic Church seriously.  And please don’t tell me they speak for God cause I am way past that nonsense too.

Link to article on the Vatican’s issues with Bioethics

Is it just me or does this article make it seem the only reason these people are considering gender equality is for the economic benefit?

LIMA (Peru), Nov 21 (Bernama) — Gender discrimination is costing Asia-Pacific economies US$80 billion annually because women are excluded from economic opportunities to participate in the workforce and in business.

Alarmed with such a state of affairs, ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Forum have called for the removal of barriers to women’s full participation in the global economy and society.

Wrapping up their two-day meeting ahead of their leaders’ summit this weekend, they scorned at marginalisation of women and called for more members of the fair sex to be involved in Apec’s decision-making process.

“We also reaffirm our commitment to the goal of gender integration into the Apec process,” they said in a joint statement issued here Thursday.

Luis Tsuboyama, Director of Gender at the Apec Secretariat, said during a presentation in May in Peru that “not investing in women limits the economic growth opportunities and slows down the progress in poverty alleviation.”

She suggested that women should embrace the digital economy and know the Internet not only from an user point of view but also as a marketeer whereby they can make money by just selling someone else’s merchandise via the web.

Link to article

Of course, I agree with the economic benefit of counteracting the marginalization of women on a global scale, but I cannot help but wonder if this issue would be considered at all if the economic impact was insignificant.