Women and the New Politics
From The Vid
-from The Vid: Volume One, Issue 1, 11/2/90
For those of us who tend to exist in a vacuum or head for Marquis instead of an interesting brown bag, Phyllis Chessler, the author of “Women and Madness” was on campus last week and gave a brown bag titled “Women, Money and Power.” Her talk was insightful, intelligent, honest and downright alarming (at points). I spent the rest of the day looking at myself from the outside, weeding out my life for instances when I, as a woman, internalize my oppression. Pardon the melodrama, but it made me queasy.
Phyllis Chessler was not there to commend the status of woman now as opposed to decades age. She wasn't there to comment about how women can succeed in business, claw their way to the executive positions in a company, or become a supreme court judge. And she wasn't estimating the year we'd have a woman in the presidency. If you were were to he dazzled, you left slightly depressed. The point of the talk was why women lack the power they deserve, how poverty is largely a female problem, and why women as a class continue to have a low status.
According to Chessler, to elevate women to an equal position with men we need to collapse our preoccupations with political categories and create another way of understanding power. The new voice emanating from our transformed consciousness must speak up in political forums and dismantle issues that perpetuate the oppression and poverty of woman. At least that’s what I thought she was saying. But I can recall her exact words from the beginning of her talk: “Man as women's God on earth is dead.”
She cited an amusing example of how women internalize oppression so effectively, and in turn protect their oppressors. Twenty or thirty years ago women couldn’t talk about orgasms. Consequently, the 70s heralded in an era of understanding sexuality and approaching it openly. But never, never ever has it been easy for women to talk about money. It has never been particularly feminine or appropriate for women to honestly declare that they want to be rich. Women who want monetary success are undeniably stigmatized as bitches or manipulators.
Chessler brought up several myths about women and power. Since women are presumably smart, why aren't women as a class rich? Why is our society overrun with impoverished single mothers depending on the government for economic survival? Why aren't women trained to use their intelligence to seek independence and wealth? She also examined the myth connecting beautiful women to success and power. Chessler maintained that a monetary focused society punishes beauty and undermines a women's self confidence. Women are trained value beauty so highly in our society that they strive to hide their litt!est imperfections. Most women don't feel beautiful no matter how perfect their appearance.
Another myth Chessler mentioned is the concept that women have the ultimate power to give birth and influence future generations as mothers. Yet, most women in the work force are under suspicion of "leaving the company to be a mother" or putting her families' needs in front of her job. They are, therefore, overlooked for promotions and new responsibilities in the workplace. There is a basic devaluation of a women's ability to have children in our political and economic lives. Chessler also compared a woman's role in marriage to that of an indentured servant. The job of wife and mother is unappreciated and unprofitable. Obviously, a woman isn't paid for the work she does in the home. She doesn't receive money for her responsibilities to her family that she can go out and invest. Also, a single working mother must work twice as hard to support her children because she is paid less then men and her only steady help is the elusive concept of alimony. Basically, she told all of us young, naive women present to accept the fact that we can't have it all. It is impossible for a woman to make her own fortune, be successful in an established career and tend completely to the needs of a family. For myself, as a graduating woman, I face having to make decisions, make sacrifices and set priorities. And for women like myself who are convinced by society that power, money and family are all within reach, Chessler’s words were sobering.
After hearing all that and more I was ready to head home and bake muffins with my head in the oven. But Chestler ended her speech quite positively. She gave us suggestions on how to wage war on our own prescribed limitations and our basic Inequalities to men. Some of the important ones included higher education as a fundamental goal for women, the formation of economic consciousness raising groups and constructing job search networks among women to make future economic partners available. Also, she cited the importance of supporting political candidates that are feminists and of supporting Issues important to women (male candidates too, of course). To the men in the audience she suggested doing anything they could to use their positions to elevate the status of the women around them to what they deserve.
I wonder if all the women students reading this article are approaching their futures realistically. Hey, it's wonderful to have goals, to want everything, but as Phyllis Chessler pointed out, keep in mind that its as hard as waging a one women war against a system programmed against you. So surround yourself with the proper resources and then ......
-from The Vid: Volume One, Issue 1, 11/2/90
