Women not equal in Wyoming
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
By Planet User
Men have to change.
Those words I heard from the mouth of
a Wyoming outfitter. He was participating
in a Wyoming Women Task Force addressing
women's issues. The event took place
last week in a ranch lost in a deep valley of
central Wyoming. There were 16 participants
‹ 14 ladies, mostly from outside
Teton County, from various organizations,
public and private, connected with philanthropy
and women's concerns
‹ and two males: the outfitter
and me.
"I also learned, on the side, that the
Wyoming legislative bodies, as far as the
"good old boy" network is concerned, are
at par with the Deep South."
It was pretty obvious from
the start that the label of
"Equality State" is a farce.
Women were only given the
right to vote in the late 19th
century, when the Wyoming
territory wanted to become a
state. They needed the ladies'
numbers, so they granted
them the right. It was not
done out of altruism.
Here are some statistics we
should be ashamed of:
°‡ If we include every type
of job in Wyoming, women earn 42 percent
less than men.
°‡ There are more rapes than robberies
in Wyoming.
°‡ Women account for 38 percent of
drug abusers.
°‡ We are one of the worst states in
the union for crimes perpetrated against
women.
I also learned, on the side, that the
Wyoming legislative bodies, as far as the
"good old boy" network is concerned, are
at par with the Deep South.
The task force participants were unanimous
that this situation is not acceptable
any longer, and a plan of action was discussed
with the goal of improving the
plight of women, at least in our state. The
approach was professional and the
resolve impressive.
Here is more information we should
take note of: Nationwide, women have 51
percent of the wealth. In the near future,
this will affect the way things are run in
the U.S.A. Money has a power that nothing
else has.
Women, through times past, have been
treated like a lesser gender. The advent of
Christianity has worsened matters to
these days. If one reads the Gospel, Jesus
Christ was a great advocate of women. It
is sad to see that within a few years of his
presumed death, religion became an allmale
affair. Other religions are also
misogynistic.
It is fair to say that women have been
considered for too long as a subclass. Even
the great movement of the civil
rights did not catch on to it.
While blacks still labored
under the legacy of slavery, the
discrimination against women
was more pervasive.
In ancient history, I can only
think of the Celts as a group
that treated their female partners
with equality. They were
an integral part of society and
even went to war with males.
My mother was a powerful
woman. She had an 8-to-6 job
till she was 55. She did not
need to work; my father's take
home pay was more than sufficient.
In addition, I had a couple of tough
female teachers at an early age. By the
time I was 16, I had worked out that society
had loaded the dice against girls and
women as a whole.
I, too, have been a total jerk with some
women. Once married and having kids, I
did not change diapers as often as I
should have. I was not the ideal father, not
being as emotionally present as my wife
was for my children. I viewed my role of
bread winner as a patriarchal duty and
regarded my spouse going back to the
working world as a break in the statusquo.
I was clueless, but that is no excuse.
Also, I tend to be more judgmental
towards the women. Mea culpa, mea maxima
culpa.
I don't know if I am getting older, but
for a few years now I have enjoyed discussing
issues with women more than
men. The ego factor that invariably creeps
in discussion between us male folks enervates
me. I am confident that the group of
ladies at the gathering will resolve some
significant issues for women in Wyoming
in a pragmatic and fearless manner.
- editor@planetjh.com
PERMALINK:
Women not equal in Wyoming | Planet JH News Article: Left Wing Local
|
No comments for this Article.
|
Leave a Comment