Contrary to popular belief, Steinem was not Jewish. Her
mother was a Protestant Christian. Steinem was raised with little to no
religion at all, according to an article in the Forward.
Although she was an icon to the feminist world, she has a
mixed legacy. Her approach to men and women can be summed up by one of her most
famous quotes:
“A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”
What a sad approach to the male female relationship. Be that
as it may, her contributions to American culture were monumental.
On the plus side, she championed many of the same values I
champion. Her goal was to open doors for women that had, up until that time,
been closed to them for no apparent reason other than, “That’s just the way
things are.”
Women were traditionally homemakers, wives, and mothers. Men
“brought home the bacon.” The negative fallout from that was that many
educational opportunities were - if not completely closed to women - severely
limited. Men were given priority, especially in careers that required higher
education and professional degrees. And even if women managed to obtain a
professional degree, they often found it much harder to get jobs.
To paraphrase the motto of the United Negro College Fund, “A
woman’s mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
Feminist pioneers like Gloria Steinem changed everything. If
I recall correctly, there are now more women enrolled in medical school than
men.
Today, women can be found everywhere men can be found: in
the arts, sciences, law, medicine, academia, and even the trades. But we still
have a long way to go before Steinem’s goal of equal pay for equal work is
achieved. That is still an unconscionable social injustice. If a woman does
exactly the same work as a man, she should receive the same pay.
That being said, there is a downside to feminism. And it’s a
big one…
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