Feminism when I grew up (in the 70s and 80s) meant fighting for equality – for women to have equality of opportunity; in education, in the workforce, and society. Girls, such as myself, looked around and saw glass ceilings broken – from Sandra Day O’Connor to Sally Ride to Madonna to Margaret Thatcher. Yes, we were aware that women would never be the same as men. After all, how many men have walked home alone at night clutching their keys wondering if the creepy drunk man across the street making profane comments might approach at any minute? And yet, there was a sense of optimism – that women could aspire to do and be anything. We were proud to be women and part of the generation that had limitless choices.
The optimism of feminism in the late 20th century feels all but dead in 2023. Women have been tremendously successful – more women obtain college, law, and medical degrees than men.
We’ve had increases in women in government at all levels – from Karen Bass to Kristi Noem, to four (out of 9) sitting Supreme Court Justices. And yet, I worry for my daughter’s future.
Foremost, I worry that women are no longer recognized as distinct from men, and therefore in need of special consideration. We’ve indoctrinated a generation of youth in the absurd belief that gender is simply a social construct and that anyone can identify as a woman. If anyone can be a woman, however, it means that there is nothing special or different about womanhood. This, of course, leads to our modern world — where narcissistic men dress up as women in “tuck” garments demanding that others treat them as women; where physically larger and stronger men compete against and dominate women’s sports, including sharing locker rooms; and where society is shamed into repeating blatant falsehoods about men being able to birth children and menstruate. In short, we’ve eliminated womanhood.
I worry about the future of women globally. In almost every corner of the earth, I see a retrenchment of feminist goals. From the failure of global society to condemn the brutal rape and murder of countless Israeli women, to the closure of schools for girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan, it feels like we’re moving backward. There’s not even a single woman in the entire 24-member Chinese Politburo.
I worry about the future of women as guardians of the family. Women’s issues traditionally have been intertwined with children’s issues. In the past 50 years, marriage rates have dropped almost 60% — the marriage rate today is just over 31%, with the lowest rates for Blacks and Latinos. Almost a third of all children in the US live with one parent, and most of these children (80%) live with their mothers. Therefore, the burden of single parenthood is largely borne by women, especially women of color. The outcomes for children raised in single-parent families are greatly diminished in comparison with children in two-parent households – such children are more likely to live in poverty, commit crime, and use drugs, and less likely to attend college. The trends are ominous – without correction, we’re creating a permanent underclass of poor and largely minority children and women.
I worry about the future of women in terms of security. Every woman knows what it’s like to be scared – wondering if the male Uber driver can be trusted, wondering if it’s okay to let a stranger buy her a drink, or wondering what to do when she’s by herself and her car breaks down on the road. Women are physically weaker – a biological fact that can’t be ignored. In 2022 women were slightly more likely to be victims of violent crime than men. That means when violent crime increases, so does the number of female victims. Although the violent crime rate has modestly dropped from the pandemic highs (380 violent crimes/100,000 people down from 400), the crime rate is still higher than the 2013-2014 lows of 360/100,000 people. Furthermore, there is a correlation between higher crime rates and homelessness rates – Los Angeles’s 11% crime increase in 2022 was attributed to the rise in homelessness, many of whom are mentally ill, drug addicts, or carry weapons. In short, women are less safe than a decade ago and an economic downturn may make the situation even more perilous.
Finally, I worry about the future of women in terms of culture. Many may disagree with this (and yes, women do have choices but those choices come with consequences), but we have oversexualized women in our culture. Everywhere you look, you see lots of skin with women who have unrealistic proportions – from anime to Miley Cyrus to Cardi B. They are the role models for our young girls, who grow up thinking that femininity is synonymous with being sex objects. This isn’t a positive development – not for women’s mental health, their relationships with men, or their physical security. Importantly, it hurts all the women out there who are trying to be taken seriously – the young doctors, researchers, lawyers, human rights workers, etc. who want their male colleagues to see them for their minds and contributions, not just their possession of female body parts.
And so I ask, why do we lack the courage to identify and celebrate womanhood? Why is it we lack the compassion to sympathize with women throughout the world who are mistreated, discriminated against, or denied basic rights based on their sex? Why is it we’re afraid to denounce the dissolution of the family structure and the cultural objectification of women? And why is it we’re unable to demand safe cities and communities where women can move freely without fear of physical harm? And short, where have all the feminists gone?