Education and Women

"I am feminist." As of late, I find myself saying this with more frequency and more pride than ever before. Why am I feminist? Because I understand what being feminist really is. It has nothing to do with the stereotypical, bra-burning, man-hating female who is running rampant in the streets. Rather, being feminist is being a proponent of feminism.

What, then, is Feminism? My Women's Studies professor always described it as women taking control of their own destiny. The longer I have thought about that definition, the more I have come to love it. Why do I love it? Because it helps even out the playing field that society has created; being born a woman does not make you a victim of an unfortunate circumstance. Women can be informed. Women can be educated. Women can be opinionated. Women have options. The notion that women are capable of creating whatever future they want for themselves is a feminist belief--a belief that I personally find empowering.

Why is a feministic attitude so empowering? Because if embraced, it negates every derogatory thought, statement, joke, ect. that has ever been said about a woman. Women are strong: although there is a biological difference that puts us at a slight disadvantage to men, emotionally and mentally we have the same capacities that they do. The statistic that boys are better at math than girls are... is a lie. If there is any quantifiable, notable difference in the ability to compute math problems between boys and girls it has been derived from social conditioning rather than from an actual biological difference. But I digress... my point is this, women are capable of doing anything they set their mind to--including becoming educated.

There is no reason that women cannot become as educated as men, and in my opinion, women should be as educated as their male counterparts. There are many benefits to women being educated, but the most over-arching theme that I've seen is that education can improve a woman's quality of life--that is not to say that a woman cannot have a great life if she is not educated; however, if she is educated, the potential for her quality of life is increased. If you educate about her potential, her value, her worth I believe that you will, in fact, change her life. If you want to decrease teen pregnancy as well as the amount of women who are being domestically abused, educate them. Far too many women do not understand that they have the right to say no: that they deserve to be treated as an equal, and that they are not here on earth merely for the enjoyment of man. If you teach women that they are worth something, that they have options other than remaining in meaningless, demeaning, subservient roles, the world would change. Do I have statistical evidence to back up these claims? Presently, No. But give me a few years, a MSW and I think you'd be surprised what I'll be able to show you.