The opinion expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

I think it is really important that women constantly examine their assumptions, particularly in trying to build a New Feminism. We need to know if the assumptions we started out with are still valid, if, in fact, they were valid at the time, and whether they are still relevant. The assumption I would like to start with is the assumption that if women gain more and more power and become equal with men in the areas previously reserved for them, that sexism will gradually fade away and things will get better for women in general.

Over the past forty or so years, we have seen a great increase in women going to work and attaining power in society. We now see women doctors and lawyers everywhere in a society where it was once unusual to see women pumping their own gas. While there is still a glass ceiling and an occasional backlash, women are still steadily advancing in most areas.  Things have gotten better for women and sexism has lessened, at least in its more overt manifestations.

There has been, however, a downside. Many women are doing twice as much work as they were before. They make breakfast in the morning, go to work, and then come home to make dinner at night. A lot of housework simply doesn’t get done. Eating out has become much more common because women are so exhausted and that has contributed to a growing problem with obesity. Paradoxically, women are under more and more pressure to be thin and sexually exploitative images abound more than ever. Our society penalizes part-time workers and so women have to choose between spending enough time with their families and having a career in a way that men do not. Many women are unhappy about their current situation.

It seems to me that the fight for adequate day care and flex-time has lagged far behind the struggle for other things and that women are suffering as a result. There also seems to be a lack of focus on the needs of working class women and the communication problem between women and men. I’m not at all certain that increases in the number of female politicians by itself will solve these problems.

I think we need to have a more flexible, diverse Feminism that can include other issues. Maybe we need a new round of consciousness raising. Maybe we need to consider raising the consciousness of men about the more personal side of Feminism. After all, their mothers and sisters are all women and their daughters will be women one day. It is possible that some of them are ready to hear this message in a way they once were not.

We are all connected to this planet and this planet is in trouble. Eventually we will have to modify our insane consumption in favor of a more sustainable lifestyle. Maybe we should get started early and try to change the values of the male workplace to be more hospitable to human beings with families. The example of women doctors is extremely relevant here. Medicine has become a lot  more user friendly since women, its main consumer base, started to become doctors and insist on a more relaxed atmosphere, heated speculums, etc. Unfortunately, their influence hasn’t necessarily spread to all areas of society. Maybe our next goal should be to restore the Yin balance in society so that women and men will be free to explore their unique individual talents.

We have come a long, long way. The original assumption of Feminism, that things would get better for women if they had more power and prestige has proven correct in many ways. Perhaps now it can be the foundation of new assumptions which will help us deal with the problems that are largely unaddressed.