I wanted to comment on this statement in the article, "We have enjoyed and excelled at what were once traditionally considered to be male endeavors and accomplishments, including designing and building our custom home, maintaining a large, forested property with livestock, leading a nonprofit organization, writing and publishing a book a…
I wanted to comment on this statement in the article, "We have enjoyed and excelled at what were once traditionally considered to be male endeavors and accomplishments, including designing and building our custom home, maintaining a large, forested property with livestock, leading a nonprofit organization, writing and publishing a book and several articles, starting and managing a small business, and juggling a life full of work, school, travel, sports, and recreation." I always find myself objecting to these kinds of 'endeavors' being called 'traditionally male' - because women have done these things from time immemorial in cultures all over the world. I don't mean to take the wind out of the sails of these two clearly great and wonderful women, and I agree with them in that I don't care for stereotypes being hallowed as 'truth' whether it comes to gender, race, or 'x' (where 'x' stand for 'whatever.') Buying into stereotypes is a big part of our problem today, despite the fight against settling for stereotypes that began in the sixties (at least). Women have participated in the list of things these two incredible women have done - on their own, yes - and sometimes other women have raised lifestock, etc, in partnership with men, or on their own, eg nuns who have raised livestock. Many men and women have worked together in equal partnerships BEFORE the women's lib movement. In some cultures and situations there has been an intensely hierarchical social structure involving gender, but it has not been universal. And I just want to say that here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, and thank you for your article because someone needs to say it - some of these trans stereotypes are only caricatures of women and men. Is that really where we want to go?
Thank you for taking the opportunity to make this point. You are right that women have taken on many of these endeavors in a variety of cultures and times – on their own, with other women, beside men, and behind men, sometimes secretly as was the case with Virginia Woolf and others. Montana, where we live now, is full of historical stories about the achievements of women, and we know many women who have been incredibly successful taking on the same mentioned endeavors. I only really meant that statement from the vantage point of my son, whose friends’ parents for the most part follow traditional roles, and when they ask Morgan about what it’s like to have two moms and no father they are often surprised at all that we’ve done, are doing and have built. So he’s proud and doesn’t feel less than his friends whose fathers have provided for their families and do the kinds of things that we have done and do. As a side note, I recently became aware of a new emerging trend in youth culture of “trad girls” or “trad wives” – those young women who present a traditional look and embrace stereotypical traditional roles, like homemaker. Suddenly, this has a growing appeal to some young men. Jeez, will we ever find a nice balance? I felt as a young woman in the 80's and 90's we were close to achieving that balance and I was able to strike that balance in my past relationships with men.
I wanted to comment on this statement in the article, "We have enjoyed and excelled at what were once traditionally considered to be male endeavors and accomplishments, including designing and building our custom home, maintaining a large, forested property with livestock, leading a nonprofit organization, writing and publishing a book and several articles, starting and managing a small business, and juggling a life full of work, school, travel, sports, and recreation." I always find myself objecting to these kinds of 'endeavors' being called 'traditionally male' - because women have done these things from time immemorial in cultures all over the world. I don't mean to take the wind out of the sails of these two clearly great and wonderful women, and I agree with them in that I don't care for stereotypes being hallowed as 'truth' whether it comes to gender, race, or 'x' (where 'x' stand for 'whatever.') Buying into stereotypes is a big part of our problem today, despite the fight against settling for stereotypes that began in the sixties (at least). Women have participated in the list of things these two incredible women have done - on their own, yes - and sometimes other women have raised lifestock, etc, in partnership with men, or on their own, eg nuns who have raised livestock. Many men and women have worked together in equal partnerships BEFORE the women's lib movement. In some cultures and situations there has been an intensely hierarchical social structure involving gender, but it has not been universal. And I just want to say that here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, and thank you for your article because someone needs to say it - some of these trans stereotypes are only caricatures of women and men. Is that really where we want to go?
Thank you for taking the opportunity to make this point. You are right that women have taken on many of these endeavors in a variety of cultures and times – on their own, with other women, beside men, and behind men, sometimes secretly as was the case with Virginia Woolf and others. Montana, where we live now, is full of historical stories about the achievements of women, and we know many women who have been incredibly successful taking on the same mentioned endeavors. I only really meant that statement from the vantage point of my son, whose friends’ parents for the most part follow traditional roles, and when they ask Morgan about what it’s like to have two moms and no father they are often surprised at all that we’ve done, are doing and have built. So he’s proud and doesn’t feel less than his friends whose fathers have provided for their families and do the kinds of things that we have done and do. As a side note, I recently became aware of a new emerging trend in youth culture of “trad girls” or “trad wives” – those young women who present a traditional look and embrace stereotypical traditional roles, like homemaker. Suddenly, this has a growing appeal to some young men. Jeez, will we ever find a nice balance? I felt as a young woman in the 80's and 90's we were close to achieving that balance and I was able to strike that balance in my past relationships with men.