Liz Smith | 10/19/2009 12:00 am

Liz Smith on Gender Equality: 'Women Will Always Have to Struggle'

In response to: Women have come a long way, as evidenced by the Shriver Report. What will be the impact of these new facts on our daughters?

I believe women will always have to struggle. Men had a head start in the "come first" sweepstakes and if you look at most of the rest of the world, that hasn’t changed. I don’t believe we’ll ever have total parity. But things are vastly improved in my own lifetime, or since the ’60s. Our daughters may have it tough for the next 20 years while we’re overcoming what happened TO THE ECONOMY in the late ’90s and early 2000s but we have to just keep educating and plugging away.

6 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Here, Here!!. I agree with you and Joan Ganz Cooney. I take it you read her take on this, Liz?

By Beth Cornell on 10/19/2009 10:03 am

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Amen.

Amy, PennDragon Studios

simpletownUSA.com

By Amy Stewart Hale on 10/19/2009 11:25 am

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You’re right, Liz both on our progress and our future. As long as men (prefer to) think of women "in the kitchen" or "in the bedroom", they will flaunt their "superior brains" & innate desire for power & control. Women at the same time need to walk softly & carry the proverbial big stick (no pun intended) in order to attain their goals.

By Carole Del Monte on 10/19/2009 12:16 pm

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I think men are slowly realizing a Woman can do more than bake a great cake. Many of my friends have help from their husbands keeping the house clean. Slow steps make for great rewards.

By Bonnie Schuster on 10/19/2009 1:16 pm

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I grew up with in a family with 2 parents. They divided the chores equally between the two of them—Dad was in charge of the yard, repairs, painting, etc and Mom was in charge of cooking, dishes, wash, cleaning, etc. As their children they divided their responsibilities up between the three of us according to our ages so that we grew up also contributing to the family. When Dad started his machine shop business Mom did his books and I extended the billing (multiplication practice) and did the filing. I have a problem in believing that their is inequality between the sexes. Dad worked hard at his job and at home too while Mom worked hard at home and in her volunteer work. Came from a family with generations of very involved women in the home and outside. My Great-great-grandmother ran the family farm during the Civil War as her parents were elderly and not up to it anylonger. I am as smart and talented as any man and if that is a problem it is their problem. Don’t think I going to change at 70 years.

By Mary E. Sayler on 10/19/2009 4:05 pm

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Liz I agree with whole heartly. I’m just so glad and proud that my daughter took mental notes as how my life was going when she was a child, because she has proven to me and everyone that knows her that "you can only be held back if you let it happen". Your life is what you make of it and you have to stand up to every and anyone who tries to hold you back. But I also beleive you shouldn’t let all your talents be known, once they know you can do something they give you the responsiblity, at work, home, church.

By Deniseann Taylor on 10/21/2009 8:34 am