Women Past and Present
Sexism involves hiding really blatant falsehoods in plain sight.
People figure no one could tell a lie that big, so it must be
true. We hear statements like, "Well, since we don't know any
women Renaissance painters, there must not have been any, right?"
And, "Women scientists just aren't as good as men-- otherwise
their names would be attached to more formulas and theories,
right?"
Actually, historians are just as likely as other professionals to
fall prey to judgmentalism. Most historians and cultural analysts
come from a perspective that automatically classifies what women
do as "less important." So when they realize how important the
Olympics were in their original form, they transfer their own
prejudice to the history and assume that women weren't allowed to
participate. (Women wouldn't have participated in something that
important, would they?). And then, when they discover carvings
and historical records of women winning Olympic wreaths, they
either dismiss them, or else they turn right around and modify
their original assumption that the Olympics were important. (If
women participated, then it must not have been as important as we
thought). (Aren't we exaggerating a bit? No, this anecdote is
true).
Such a biased way of keeping records neatly perpetuates the idea
that there just aren't any talented women worth mentioning in
history. But that's simply not the case. There are brilliant
scientists, accomplished explorers, fantastic artists, and many
other worthy women filling the historical record-- if only we
would notice them. Here's where you can learn about them.
However, the problem is not only history. Women are cut off from
other women in the present as well. We address this issue in two
ways on these pages. First, we want to celebrate the
accomplishments of talented women who are doing important things
right now. Why wait for the history books? How many
people really think of Madeleine Albright, Jan Davis, Sheryl
Swoopes, or Admiral Grace Hopper when considering women's
accomplishments? Their stories need to be told loud and clear
before they have a chance to be swept under the rug.
Second, we speak to the girls of today who are still growing up in
a world that calls their bodies and normal body functions "dirty"
and even "disgusting." Is it any wonder that girls' voices fall
silent in early adolescence as their self-confidence takes a
beating from the sexism that still pervades our culture? Women
may be getting better jobs these days, but girls still get teased
when their breasts develop, and they are still expected to "act
dumb" in order to fit in. It shouldn't be such an incredible
challenge to grow up female with your mind and motivations
intact.
Women need more information about women at every level.
These pages talk about what every girl and woman should know.
