Re: Sojourner Truth

One issue that stuck out to me from these reading was that of subtle versus blatant prejudice. As the authors, particularly DuBois and Truth, put rather bluntly, women are more often than not stuck doing the crap-work; meaning the work that is virtually meaningless and could be performed by anyone. However, it is women that are relegated to these positions of minutia. Men say and write that we are all created equal and that this fact is obvious, but in reality, women are not given equal opportunities. This ties into the idea of the glass ceiling in so much as women are given fair chances to do what men do, but only up to a certain status level. It took women half a century to gain the right to vote, and even after the amendment for their suffrage was passed, it took even longer for women to be taken seriously in politics. 1996 was the first year there was a female candidate for a position as high as the Vice President of the United States of America, and 2008 was the first time a woman was viewed as a legitimate presidential candidate. Men in positions of authority claim to believe in equality of the sexes, but the proof is in the putting as they say.
The quotation from Elizabeth Cady Stanton in DuBois’ article is particularly poignant…“She [women] must not her trust in man in this transition period, since, while regarded as his subject, his inferior, his slave, their interests must be antagonistic.” Stanton hits the nail on the head of the most crucial gender issue; that as long as men believe that women are inherently inferior, than their beliefs will show through in their policies. If this wasn’t the case than we never would have lost the ERA and there would be far more female CEO’s, Congresswomen, and the like. It is the double standard with its lower expectations for women that is at the heart of America’s problem. As long as men expect that given equal opportunities that women will fall short because they are women, then there never will be truly equal opportunities.