Look. I'm all for women's equality. In human worth, we are no different than men. The fact that so much of the world does not hold that to be true is heartbreaking. But I'm not going to talk about the violence against women around the world because frankly, I'm not well informed. What I am going to talk about is my frustration with our society's definition of 'equal'. Because it is not equality, it is 'the same'. Which any English, or for that matter any science major as well, will tell you is absolute bullshit.
We are not the same. And that is not a bad thing. But I'm awfully tired of my honesty about my weaknesses as a woman be derided and my honesty about my strengths as a woman be mocked. I am not a man. I do not think the same as a man my age, I do not act the same as a man my age, I have different needs, and different abilities. Allow me to list a few.
There is a limit to the heaviness of the things I can lift. My upper body strength is significantly lower than that of a healthy male my age. There comes a weight limit where I simply am unable to lift it. Someone else is going to have to move the case of paper.
I have this thing once a month called a period that involves overdosing over the counter pain meds in order to function normally. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't suck, or that it doesn't effect me. Even with the pain managed (and might I highlight that these symptoms are WILDLY different for each individual female in your life) there are body aches, fatigue, and occasionally an overdose of hormones that makes it difficult to continue to act as if your body isn't trying to hijack your day and make you sob, scream, and curl into the fetal position. So no. I'm not going to try and pretend that my day full of muted pain, profuse bleeding, a messed up digestive system, an overdose of hormones that I have to constantly fight to remain sounding and looking sane, body aches that pain meds don't touch, and extreme fatigue is the same as a man's day of not having any of that. No. That's bullshit. I'm not saying I shouldn't have to work. My symptoms are not severe enough for that. What I am saying is that I'm going to do the best I can, but I might be a little slow. I might be a little quieter (easier to keep emotions under control if you just keep your mouth shut). I'm definitely going to go to the bathroom a lot. I'll even manage to hold myself together but if my smile seems strained, or I look tired, keep it to yourself. I'm trying.
But you know what I can give uniquely because I am a woman? Things that society doesn't value. I can convey empathy and concern better than my male counterparts. I can read and calm an atmosphere simply by being in it. I genuinely care about my coworkers more than a male counterpart. To break it down for anyone still reading this: that means that I am more likely to do the little things that are unnecessary but helpful - simply because I want to. And as we all know, it's the little things that can make the biggest difference. I'm more approachable for customers, simply because I'm a woman. I can see different solutions to problems because my brain seeks different paths to resolutions than men.
All women and men are different. These lines are not definitive. I simply value my womanhood, and refuse to pretend it's the same as manhood. I know that the natural gifts I have to give aren't things that society assigns value to. But that doesn't mean they aren't valuable.
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