As a baby boomer, I find it gratifying that the #MeToo movement has finally arrived, even though I was fortunate to grow up in the era of feminism back in the ‘70’s. Women’s liberation, as it was known, was very much about women being recognized as autonomous human beings, where both laws and customs about a woman’s place were under intense scrutiny, and slow, but steady change. I am grateful particularly to now Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg for her groundbreaking work on behalf of women’s rights, and I urge those who are not familiar with her work to see the documentary “Notorious RGB.”
While the progress of the 70’s, including the passage of Roe v. Wade, was a game-changer, there is still a very long way to go, witness the current rise of the #MeToo movement. What I hope will develop in our awareness now is something that has taken a very, very long time for me to realize, and even now I’m not there yet. And that is the understanding of the inherent worth and dignity of women. Young women today are in such a better place when it comes to feeling that sense of worth and dignity, but all of us, young and older, struggle with the pervasive, unspoken ethos that we are not quite full human beings. I internalized that myth as a young woman given the treatment I received when constant sexual harassment in school and work was considered good fun and I should just play along, and through my entire career where I had to struggle for decent wages and standing in my vocation, when I was as fully, if not more, educated than my male peers. I have always had an inner sense that I was never quite good enough, and even at times of receiving recognition for my performance and abilities, have often minimized it or not taken it seriously.
As with others who have been targets of bigotry, including people of color, the LBGTQ community, the physically or mentally disabled, immigrants, and so many others who are objects of blame and projection, women can and must claim the dignity that humanizes our society. Control over our sexuality is but one area in which we must demand our rights. Passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution is long overdue, as are so many other areas of law and practices that hold us back. As the saying goes, “If not now, when?” Our time is here and we must make the most of it.
Tags: Feminism, MeToo, women's rights