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From: gazit@cs.duke.edu (Hillel Gazit)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Sexism vs. Men's Oppression
Message-ID: <675774990@lear.cs.duke.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 91 11:16:31 GMT
References: 720.349@MDI.COM> <1991Jun1.034124.8157@beaver.cs.washington.edu>
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In article <1991Jun1.034124.8157@beaver.cs.washington.edu> 
jcarson@june.cs.washington.edu (Janet L. Carson) writes:

>versa, of course.  When feminism works to expand roles for women, and
>thereby change the notions of gender roles, men benefit because they
>are no longer forced to do everything that women weren't allowed to do.  

This is a nice theory, but the data just doesn't support it.

In Carter's time there was choice for women in all the states, affirmative 
action was enforced and state-ERA was passed in several states.  After 
three years Carter renewed the men-only registration for draft.  NOW had
nothing to say about that because it did not care about men.

I have heard feminists' demands for a crack down on fathers who don't pay
child's support, no matter why they don't pay.  The fact the women have
had a choice for abortion the last 17 years makes no difference for 
feminist organizations.  They also want the choice to take the father 
to the cleaners, if they feel like that.

We hear from the same feminists a demand for affirmative action and a
demand for priority in child custody; they really feel that *women*
should "have it all."

As long as feminist organizations will be able to get what they want,
I don't think that they will support men's rights.  In a situation
like today, when they lose the fight for the "Civil Right Acts", they
may express "deep concern" as a way to get more men's support, but I
don't think that they have any intention to give up any of women's
extra rights.

>Janet L. Carson

Hillel                                             gazit@cs.duke.edu

"The continuation of earnings gap between men and women, the decimation of
affirmative action in order to protect white men from `reverse discrimination',
the rise of male victories in child custody cases - all of these attest to the
need for a way to galvanize women's opposition and women's power in the 1980s."
            --  ("Caught Looking", Kate Ellis, Barbara O'Dair & Abby Tallmer)