because

here's another parody of the good-old "women can't be trusted to make their own decisions" rhetoric of the anti-emergency contraception campaign, this time from the onion:

New 'Anti-Abortion Pill' Kills Mother, Leaves Fetus Alive

NEW YORK—Pro-life advocates celebrated approval of the new anti-abortion drug UR-86 by the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday, calling it a "safe and effective method" for terminating pregnant women while leaving their unborn children unharmed.
Pfizer, manufacturer of UR-86—dubbed the "last-morning-ever pill"—said the drug is intended only for occasions when the mind-set or politics of the mother threaten the life of the fetus.

"This drug is designed for extreme cases in which the mother cannot or should not be saved, or when her health has been placed before that of her unborn child," Pfizer spokesman Anthony Wright said. [...]

i laughed so hard. while being so depressed.

meanwhile, this was recently on alternet:
-------------------------------------
Happy Housewife vs. Mad Mommy
A new book says that if middle-class mothers are sleep-deprived, angry, exhausted and unhappy, it's a consequence of their foolish demand for self-fulfillment.
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feministe also has a commentary on this author and her view that all women should go back to the mental well-being and overall happiness that they can only reach by fulfilling a destiny as housewives in service to heir husbands and kids (with link to a video of her as a guest on the colbert report - hilarious and super-scary). there's also some older discussion at ms.musings.


and speaking of women packaging misoginistic discourse as "pro-women" stances, what I really wanted to post about is a reply i sent to the editor-in-chief of romanian women's magazine unica - who wrote an editorial titled "feminism? what in the world for?" (posted over at squat your heart). she says stuff like "now, in the third millenium, women can do anything if they want to. we have the same rights and, in addition, we have the advantage of being a woman and not a man. so we get to have it easier when it's more convenient for us to pretend, and we're allowed to pretend when we want to. men have gotten used to the idea that we are equal, but they have reserved the pleasure of protecting us when needed. if we're unlucky, it's our fault. if we're jealous, often it's our fault. and if we're dumped, it's definitely our fault, too. yes, i have a problem with feminism. now, in the third millenium, i don't feel i have any fewer rights than men." right. (i should mention that her best example of how today we already have absolute equality is that it's been more than 40 years since the first woman astronaut. perhaps someone should tell her about this... i didn't 'cause i got tired and bored writing the reply... heh.)

so for a break in the regularly scheduled english-language program:

here's the romanian text

Buna ziua. Deoarece intr-un editorial recent in revista dvs. va intrebati "Feminism, pen' ce?" si personal chiar cred ca doriti sa stiti raspunsul, as vrea deci sa explic: pai fi'n'ca inca e nevoie sa constientizam si sa vorbim despre ce-nseamna sex, ce-nseamna gen, care e diferenta intre ele si ce e cu normele pe care le determina. Feminismul asta face (face, la timpul prezent).

De ce? Pt. ca feminismul e relevant pentru vietile femeilor SI barbatilor - pt. ca le-a imbunatatit deja si inca incearca sa le imbunatateasca unde e necesar.

M-am gindit ca poate v-ar interesa sa stiti, pentru a pune-n perspectiva:

-- Femeile detin doar 1% din proprietatile lumii, sub 10% din venitul global, sub 7% din slujbele clericale.
-- In clasamentul celor 300 de oameni bogati din Romania figureaza doar 8 femei (Supliment Revista Capital, 2003).
-- Mai putin de 14% din pozitiile de conducere ale lumii (putere politica, strategica si economica) apartin femeilor. In Marea Britanie doar 17% dintre locurile din Parlament sunt ocupate de femei, in Parlamentul European femeile sunt in proportie de 24,5%, iar in Romania doar 10,7%.
-- In toata lumea persista inegalitatile salariale intre femei si barbati, cele mai multe tari din Europa inregistrand diferente de pana la 20% intre salariile femeilor si ale barbatilor. In Romania veniturile femeilor in general reprezinta doar 50% din cele ale barbatilor.
-- Astazi 2/3 din cele 876 milioane de analfabeti din lume sunt femei. In Romania desi numarul de elevi si studenti femei este de 50,1%, acest raport nu se regaseste pe piata fortei de munca, una din cinci femei romance neavand nici o sursa de venit.
-- In lume, femeile sunt batute, oprimate, abuzate si torturate in fiecare zi. Cercetarile arata ca violenta domestica este raspandita pe scara larga in majoritatea societatilor si este o cauza frecventa a sinuciderilor in randul femeilor. In Romania femeile sunt victime ale violentei in familie in proportie de peste 30% iar o data la 2 zile / la fiecare doua zile o femeie este omorata in bataie (cf. Inspectoratului General al Politiei Romane, Bucuresti, 2003).
-- 30% din gospodariile din lume sunt ingrijite de femei, 80-90% din cele mai sarace familii depind de femei pe tot globul, si tot ele au de obicei responsabilitatea de a creste copiii, de cele mai multe ori fara ajutorul tatalui, al familiei sau al comunitatii. In Romania femeile se ocupa de cresterea copiilor in proportie de 66%.
-- Femeile muncesc in general cel putin 10-15 ore pe saptamana mai mult decat barbatii. Ele au de obicei o dubla zi de munca (serviciu si munca in gospodarie). 63,8 % dintre romani considera ca este doar datoria femeii sa se ocupe de treburile casnice.
-- Segregarea in domeniul muncii este evidenta, atat in lume cat si in Romania (1998): femeile sunt majoritare in sectoarele bugetare (sanatate, invatamant, turism, comert) unde sunt salarizate cu pana la o treime sub media salarizarii pe economie, iar in ramurile predominate de barbati (constructii, energie, transporturi, etc.) salariile sunt mult mai mari.
-- In Romania o conditie pusa uneori la angajare femeilor este de a nu ramane insarcinate. In Anglia, spre exemplu, in 2003, 1000 de femei au fost concediate de la locul de munca in anul in care au ramas insarcinate deoarece nu existau conditii de munca potrivite si nu existau alternative la munca intreprinsa de ele.
-- Femeile nu au inca dreptul de a alege cu privire la drepturile reproductive. In Romania femeile rrome nu au acces la servicii medicale si acces la informatii privind sanatatea reproductiva; femeile cu deficiente sunt sfatuite sa nu aiba copii.
-- Exista sexism (discriminarea sistematica a unui sex, de obicei femeile) in toate societatile: prezentarea femeilor in publicitate ca obiecte sexuale care trebuie sa arate bine si sa nu vorbeasca deloc, bancuri misogine, proverbe, cantece, povesti in care femeile sunt sistematic prezentate ca fiinte inferioare, proaste, slabe, rele, malefice care trebuie controlate, supuse, dominate.
-- O analiza a 33 de jocuri video „Nintendo” si „Sega Genesis”, foarte populare actualmente, a aratat ca in 41% dintre acestea nu exista personaje feminine. Femeile sunt fie absente, fie apar in postura de victima. In aproape 80% dintre jocuri violenta si agresiunea sunt o parte necesara a strategiei. In aproape jumatate din jocuri violenta era indreptata spre alti oameni, iar in 21% era violenta impotriva femeilor.
-- Violul si alte forme de violenta sexuala sunt in crestere. Multe violuri raman nedenuntate din cauza stigmatizarii si a traumei asociate acestora si datorita lipsei abordarii acestui subiect intr-un mod delicat de catre sistemele juridice. Estimarile procentelor de violuri denuntate la politie variaza. Violul este folosit sistematic ca tactica de razboi (ex. Bosnia-Hertegovina, Ruanda).
-- In Romania 44% dintre tinerele cu studii superioare angajate au fost hartuite sexual la locul de munca.
>> sursa: Pasi Spre Tara Egalitatii – O provocare pentru fete si baieti, (va recomand intreaga carticica, e foarte probabil ca veti afla multe lucruri noi si fascinante).
>> iar pentru ca e de interes maxim, poate, date utile despre femei si media: Who makes the news? Not Many Women, Study Shows and What's the problem? Facts about girls, women + media

Mai puteti incerca de asemenea:

Raport pe (in)egalitatea dintre sexe in Europa de Sud-Est
Cartea neagra a egalitatii de sanse intre femei si barbati in Romania
Primul numar din RESpublica, Revista Egalitatii de Sanse

Si ceva mai putin oficial, dar probabil chiar mai interesant: Reportaj pentru Ziua Internationala a Femeilor. Sau, aici mai puteti asculta diverse voci de femei de prin toata Europa.

Enjoy. Oricum, raspunsul e pe-acolo.

ps: In loc de "Nu sint feminista, dar...", "I AM a feminist, AND"

si mai succint:
"I'm a feminist BECAUSE women’s work is never done and is underpaid or boring or repetitious and we’re the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it’s our fault and if we get bashed we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we’re nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we’re nymphos and if we don’t we’re frigid and if we love women it’s because we can’t get a “real man” and if we ask our doctor too many questions we’re neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect community care for children we’re selfish and if we stand up for our rights we’re aggressive and “unfeminine” and if we don’t we’re typical weak females and if we want to get married we’re out to trap a man and if we don’t we’re unnatural and because we still can’t get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can’t cope or don’t want a pregnancy we’re made to feel guilty about abortion and… for lots and lots of other reasons… I'm part of the women's movement and I AM a feminist."