Where's the Feminism for Older Women?

Philly.com ^ | 5/11/04 | Rosemary C. McDonough

[qam1]

WHAT HAS the women's movement done for you lately? If you're a woman past childbearing age, the answer is: not much.

As the April 25 march in Washington demonstrated, the primary focus of the women's movement is still what it was over 30 years ago: abortion rights, or reproductive freedom.

But what about the growing number of older women who are finally free from reproduction?

A generation ago, as a budding feminist, the women's movement introduced me to a world that my mother could scarcely have imagined. Marriage as an equal partnership? Equal pay for equal work? Choosing when to have children? It sounded like a great plan to me.

And it has been. During my 25-year marriage, I've had more choices than I can count. Choice: Wait a few years to have children. Choice: Launch my career, full speed ahead. Choice: Design a second career to work from home around my family.

All these ideas about choice, about fashioning a life tailored to my needs, were planted in my head by the women's movement. But as I enter a phase of life that requires new choices, I find only one has captured the attention of prominent feminists, and that's when "choice" means "abortion."

Let's face reality. For fifty-something first-generation feminists like me, pregnancy - planned or unplanned - is no longer on the radar screen. Now my friends and I worry about making choices that will help us lead healthy, productive, vigorous lives into middle age and beyond. We'd like the women's movement to show us the way.

But as long as the movement focuses on perceived threats to abortion, they've left our generation out in the cold.

Case in point: A few years ago, I learned that I had a common, serious and asymptomatic condition which disproportionately affects women. That condition, osteopenia, puts certain women at risk for hip, back and other fractures. Finding out that I had this condition, and taking the steps to address it, may have saved my life. I did not learn about this condition through any of the feminist mailings I receive regularly. I learned about it through my male gynecologist.

Case in point: When my friend's mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he just shook his head. "That woman hasn't had a pap test since the Kennedy administration," he declared. "She doesn't take care of herself." We all nodded wisely.

But a month later, I didn't feel so wise. That's when I learned that pap tests screen for cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer. There IS no test for ovarian cancer. Did I learn this through a feminist march or public service campaign? No. A nice kid at Border's taught me, when she was handing out literature for her bat mitzvah service project.

Case in point: The women's movement coined the phrase "feminization of poverty." But as baby boomers age, that term won't only be about unwed mothers or pink-collar jobs. It'll be about a Social Security system that's going bust - and women, who outlive men, will suffer more. I don't want to live to be 100 if my Social Security check is only going to make it to 85. Feminist economists, where are you?

Sometimes, in their zeal to preserve reproductive freedom, today's feminists look just plain silly. A recent news story reported that a music critic, while reviewing a light-hearted 18th-century opera, described it as "joyous and pro-life." But Big Sister was watching. The review was edited to say that the opera was "joyous and anti-abortion." Way to go, girls! We don't need Spell Check, we need Think Check.

It's time for the women's movement to replace abortion rights as its centerpiece. We need a feminist agenda that speaks for women of ALL ages. That's what the women's movement can do for me now. That's the one "choice" we simply must make.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

:)))

[cyborg]

I'm of child bearing age and the only thing feminists have done is to scare American men away from us girls.

[bmwcyle]

They don't need one. They think for themselves.

[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social aspects that directly effects Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1982) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details.

[jeffc]

We'd like the women's movement to show us the way.

Obviously can't do it on her own . . .

[Mamzelle]

re: That's when I learned that pap tests screen for cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer.)))

And cervical cancer is very rare among couples where both partners have been chaste and faithful through life--another thing the femmies won't bother to tell you.

[ohioWfan]

30 years ago, the feminist movement seemed, at least in part, to be about equal rights and opportunities which were much needed.

'Women's' jobs such as teaching and nursing were woefully underpaid (making it impossible for a male teacher to support a family on the pitiful salary), certain fields were 'off limits' to women, there were no girls' sports programs in schools, there were even places of employment that paid women less than men for the identical job because they supposedly weren't the 'bread winners' and didn't need as much money...........there were problems that needed to be fixed.

They HAVE been.

Now the so called women's movement is about two things........hating men, and killing babies.

It long ago ceased being a movement that gave a rip about women.

[T Minus Four]

The author should do what thinking women have been learning to do for years - turn their backs on feminism. It just takes some of us longer than others to get their eyes opened.

[kjenerette]

WHAT HAS the women's movement done for you lately? If you're a woman past childbearing age, the answer is: not much.

What did she expect from a movement who defined itself on '...the right to kill babies on demand?!'

[2banana]

and women, who outlive men, will suffer more. I don't want to live to be 100 if my Social Security check is only going to make it to 85.

What????? Looks like the culture of death (abortion when she was young) has this woman thinking in those terms for her later life also...

[Delphinium]

I don't need the "feminist movement" I am a strong, liberated, independent western, free, Christian woman.

So were my mother, and grandmothers.

[dirtboy]

We'd like the women's movement to show us the way.

Translation: We can't think for ourselves. Someone please do it for us.

It'll be about a Social Security system that's going bust - and women, who outlive men, will suffer more. I don't want to live to be 100 if my Social Security check is only going to make it to 85. Feminist economists, where are you?

Translation: Someone did our thinking for us, and we don't like the outcome!

[kjenerette]

WHAT HAS the women's movement done for you lately? If you're a woman past childbearing age, the answer is: not much.

What did she expect from a movement who defined itself on '...the right to kill babies on demand?!'

P.S. Perhaps a movement that has as it's center the right to kill babies will help the old feminist gain the '...the right to be euthanized on demand by whoever is providing their 'life support system!'

I mean...if you can have the right to stop a life on one end of life 'un-naturely' why shouldn't the logical next RIGHT be to stop it on the other end 'un-naturely?

The feminist could call it 'retroactive abortion.' Of course it would only apply to females...

Bye bye feminist Boomer...

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Visit a local nursing home. They are filled with women. Essentially, every health care issue for older persons is a woman's issue.

The medical profession's view appears to be that when you grow old you die. Consequently, why waste a lot of effort.

[ArrogantBustard]

As the April 25 march in Washington demonstrated, the primary focus of the women's movement is still what it was over 30 years ago: abortion rights, or reproductive freedom. But what about the growing number of older women who are finally free from reproduction?

This sort of attitude is what I was talking about on the other thread.

[wardaddy]

me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.me.......



still completely self obsessed, even at friggin 50 years old....

..feminism breeds neurosis (or is it the other way around?)

[wardaddy]

Amen!

[Ciexyz]

I'm a female past child-bearing age and I remember reading Ms. magazine in college in the early 70's, and at the time, the movement made sense. It pushed for equal opportunity for women to enter careers and gain equal pay for equal work. It spoke about choices. The pro-abortion emphasis bothered me a little, but back then, it seemed that only "the Catholics" were fighting abortion. My family got a Christmas card every year from a Catholic family and included was a pro-life tract, and I remember my Mother commenting, "That's the Catholics for you, they keep pushing the same issue."

It took some years of living and involvement in my local church to become exposed to the view that abortion was wrong. That's when I realized how heavily the media brainwashes women that it's OK to kill your unborn child.

[television is just wrong]

Feminism brings an end result of a loveless life with empty dreams or nightmares. Find a good man, marry, have a family and love each other. Things are never perfect, but what else is there? A lonely exixtance?