I attended my granddaughter Hannah's pre-Kindergarten graduation last week. The ceremony was replete with caps and gowns and the kids marched to the obligatory strains of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance". As with much of today's culture it was a bit over the top, but I was ready and willing to go with the flow. Hannah is in my humble opinion a very exceptional little girl and I hope she finds a career worthy of her talents.
The whole show and its aftermath came back to me during a conversation with the Divine Mrs. M the other day. She was digging through some letters and records from her college days and she recollected a conversation she had with a faculty advisor regarding career choices. If you don't remember, the aforementioned Mrs. M was the valedictorian of her high school class and one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. The advisor started the conversation by suggesting that her aptitude test indicated she would make a great housewife! This happened in 1969, not sometime in the 19th century.
Unfortunately, despite the gains women have made in society in the intervening years, I can picture Hannah on the other side of a desk from a member of the patriarchy who will suggest she content herself with less than an optimum career. The recent spate of anti abortion laws indicate men have not given up their "right" to control women's bodies and minds. One legislator proclaimed women must seek the approval of their impregnator if they wish to make a health care decision regarding their own bodies.
Hannah and my other granddaughter, Erica, are growing up in what may be the final backlash against equal rights for women. I support them and will fight for their right to choose their best path to adulthood and the career of their choice. It seems self evident....
No comments:
Post a Comment