In the "Europe" section of The New York Times, I read an article about an Albanian woman who chose to become the man of the house after her father was murdered. She, Pashe Keqi, now 78, was able to do this at the age of 20 by becoming a sworn virgin. She said, "While a woman’s life is worth half that of a man, a virgin’s value is the same: 12 oxen." Her virginity ensured her equality.
That led me to ponder, how many oxen am I worth; and can I still ensure my equality if my virginity is long gone?
In a world of equality, that question would be moot. Or is that moo when dealing with oxen?
American women can tout equality from their L'Oreal locks down to their Jimmy Choo shoes, but they're still only paid 75.3 cents to every dollar a man makes. They are still traditionally defined by their marital status (Miss or Mrs.) before they are as an individual (Ms.). They still often give up their name for a man when they marry, and they still often pay more for a haircut and dry cleaning than a man does (even if they have shorter hair and simpler clothes). They still do not have equality.
What is a woman's worth? Her ability to bear and raise children? To multitask? To bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan?
Women don't have to be like men to have equality, but they have to know that they are worthy of it and they have to see it as an inherent right that they desire. I just wonder if they do.
It's impossible to ensure equality by participating in a tradition that does not promote it. Based on the fact that more than 90% of American women take a man's last name when they marry and go by "Mrs.," it begs the questions: Are women simply not interested in equality or do they not see the connections between their actions and the inequities those actions perpetuate?
Any tradition that promotes inequality is a tradition worthy of reconsideration. Women are amazing and powerful. They are not afraid to have "ah ha" moments and change their lives in an instant. I believe that as more women make the connections between the choices they make and the inequities those choices create, that more women will make new choices.
word count: 400
Source:
New York Times piece By DAN BILEFSKY Published: June 25, 2008.
United States Census Bureau 2003
About Me
- jd smith
- Weave the films, Being There and Gandhi into a tapestry of gourmet Mediterranean vegan cuisine, organic wine and a sound track by Nina Simone, place it in a philosophical artist community in Italy near a beautiful body of water, fill it with people who have a passion for chess and an acceptance of psychic abilities, frame it as the book, Illusions by Richard Bach and you have a fair representation of who this woman aspires to be and sometimes is. Often called a Renaissance woman by others, while inwardly feeling like a Jane of all trades, master of none, jd smith is a writer, performer, Reiki practitioner, empath, intuitive consultant, advocate for equality and occasional chess coach. She lives on the Southern California coast in a small and relatively peaceful beach community yet, considers herself a New Yorker at heart. Ms. smith has been married for nearly two decades and is the chief care giver to a senior parent and a toddler child. Life is good! Si non è vero, è ben trovato -as the Italian's say: even if it's not true, it should be.
