In the 1500s, women freely initiated divorce in Native American farming societies. A bit later, the matter would be settled by simply placing all of the husband's belongings just outside of the teepee.
In the 1700s, Native American women were the deciders of whether or not their people would go to war, or stay at peace.
In 1767, hispanic women living in South Texas received land grants.
In 1814, while the men were off at war (Mexico had declared it's independence from Spain in 1810), the wife of the governor of Texas ran the state affairs in his absence.
In 1843, mother of 20 (yes, 20) Mary Levy buys land in her own name in Houston.
In 1848, the first women's rights convention is held in Seneca, New York.
** Above courtesy of http://www.womenintexashistory.org/timeline/
A brief summary of how women finally earned the vote in Texas shows a documented struggle lasting from 1868 to 1919. At the time, a woman's right to simply cast her opinion on civic matters was a huge step forward. In 2014, our fish to fry include things like voter ID laws, the glass ceiling, and the right to be the authority on what happens to and within our own bodies.
Frivolous, right? Why should we concern our pretty little heads with such complicated matters? Is it truly the year 2014, or are we forever doomed to repeat the ideals of 1814?
You may be wondering what I'm doing. You may have figured it out. You may have realized I don't actually think it's possible that we still live in 1814, although sometimes I have to wonder very hard. In an effort to help myself to a more complete understanding, I've been combing through a bit of history. Which moments in time helped solidify the ass-backwards way of living that puts me second to any male counterpart; that lets people value and devalue me based on my decisions to keep my legs crossed, to take certain medications, and to procreate?
I refuse to be defined by my choices that do or do not concern marriage or motherhood. The fact that pieces like this NY Post article on Wendy Davis still exist show me that this problem does not solely lie in Texas. That's right Naomi Schaeffer Riley, I'm calling you out. Quite honestly, I'm mad as hell.
Naomi suggests that Wendy Davis has absolutely no future in politics, regardless of political affiliation, simply because she chose to go to HARVARD law school and leave her two children with their father.
There are so many things wrong with this, I am dizzy with rage at where to begin.
What if men were held equally accountable in REALITY, and not just biology? What if we called every man who got married, had children, and went to better themselves a horrible human being - BOTH personally and professionally?
To determine that someone is fit or unfit to do a JOB because of their choices as a mother is not only sexist, ludicrous, and asinine, it's also deeply offensive. I honestly can't believe that in 2014 I am still subjected to trying to stomach this bullshit.
I am more than a ring finger and much more than a womb. When or if I decide to have children, they will never question their mother's ability to do absolutely anything their father does. They will never measure me by my ability to get home and cook the perfect chicken. They will never be scarred by the lack of matching socks, or the layer of dust on top of the refrigerator. And they will never think, for a second, that any of those things are my sole responsibility just because I have a vagina. They will know better. And so should you.
In conclusion, shrug this off. Forget you read it. Chalk it up to hormones. Call me a bitch, squirm at my vitriol, and utter a silent prayer chaining me to a stove somewhere with a baby (or seven) on my hip.
Bless your confused little heart, your ignorance is your cross to bear, not mine.
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