This article focuses on women in "elite colleges" (Harvard, Yale, and the like...of course not including any women in single-sex institutions that really are quite comparable to these "elite" institutions..I somehow doubt that the majority of students in single-sex colleges would agree with this getting-an-MRS-degree thing...), and how while they're going to college and intending to get "useful" degrees in things like law and such, they "say they will happily play a traditional female role, with motherhood their main commitment."
Ugh.
Think outside the box, kiddles.
Please.
One (male) dean at Yale has it right, at least...
"What does concern me," said Peter Salovey, the dean of Yale College, "is that so few students seem to be able to think outside the box; so few students seem to be able to imagine a life for themselves that isn't constructed along traditional gender roles."
I have sooo much more I could say about this, but no time to do so, so instead, I'm going to pimp out other bloggers.
Jessica at feministing
Echidne
And ms. musings
1 comment:
Oh, no no no, that's not at all what I'm saying, nor is that my biggest problem with this article. My major problem with this article is its white, upper/middle-class base, which doesn't take into account the majority of women who won't have the choice, economically, to stay home w/ their kids. I've got no problem with these women choosing to stay home -- if that is, indeed, their choice, and not something that they're feeling like they have to do because of outside pressures or whatever.
I fully, fully support these women being stay-at-home moms, if they have that opportunity and they have that desire. But this article is problematic in more ways than just class issues. It hurts the feminist movement as a whole, because it makes it sound like it's over, it's done with, it's unnecessary now. That women are choosing to stay at home with their kids precisely because they've had the "feminist" opportunities of a good education, a job, etc., but they want that "natural" female occupation of the homemaker. That, not-so-clearly stated, is my issue with this article and other "opt-out" ones like it.
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