Women's Voices

One of the best parts of having a wonderful, adult daughter is how much she teaches me each time we are together. Last Friday she reinforced my appreciation of her strength and skill in meeting life as a woman. And in doing so gave me the opportunity to see and marvel first hand at the evolution of the women's movement.

As a young adult I spent time, talent and a bit of temper trying to help craft laws, open minds and win hearts to equality for women; in the family, in the workplace and in the world. I am, justifiably I hope, proud of those efforts. Predictably, the passage of years brought changes to the movement and the larger community.

Sometimes, as the next generations of women made their way, it was easy to lose sight of progress. Easy to question if anyone remembered the fight from which they were now benefiting. Even sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that what we really fought for was choices - legitimate choices.

Then my daughter took me to a MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) meeting. At first blush it was a breakfast, inspirational or informational guest speaker, sharing, support and problem solving group for mothers of preschool children. Most were not employed outside the home. It seemed a context in which I was unlikely to be considering the impact of votes for women, equal pay for equal work, Title IX and the equal rights amendment.

Yet as I sat watching my heart became so full with pride I felt it would burst. What wonderful, complex, talented women. I was indeed watching the success of the women's movement. These women ran their own show. Direct, self-confident, standing up, organizing and leading they embodied the fruition of every long debate about the place of women in the world. The context in which they moved mountains and created community was theirs to choose. But that choice or any other ultimately pales next to their ability to mold life with a freedom imagined and denied to many previous generations.

Is it perfect? Of course not. Are there still battles to be fought, resistence to master? Of course. Does the fight look like it did when I was young? No, it is not even the same fight everywhere or for all women. But from MOPS to MomsRising, the women are present, they are engaged, their voices are raised and they are strong.

What more could an aging feminist ask?