Attack on Mothers and Marriage?

I read Dr. Laura’s blog each time she creates a new post. She says a lot of good things in both her radio show and on the blog. This time, she had a post on a new “Feminist Studies” graduate program available at the University at Santa Barbara (both for master’s and doctoral degrees).

While I am very thankful for the women in our past who worked so diligently to get women the right to vote, the right to work in the workplace, and so forth, I do not agree with all of the feminist views.

Betty Friedan, founder of NOW (The National Organization of Women and writer of The Feminist Mystique) said that traditional family life is like a “comfortable concentration camp” from which women need liberation.

I don’t know about you, but I think of a concentration camp as anything but comfortable and immediately think of the Holocaust. In concentration camps, people were emotionally and physically battered, could not leave if they wanted to, and were starved, among other terrible things. I know that back in the day, women were at home but I really don’t think that it was as terrible as some of the feminists made it out to be.

Sheila Cronan, a very respected leader and spokeswoman of the feminist movement said, “Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking marriage.”

Women have the blessing to have bodies that will allow them to grow and bear children. How is marriage like slavery for women? And why in the world would anyone want to attack marriage? Wait a minute, this is happening all over the place (gay marriage versus traditional marriage – Prop 8 in California).

What are they going to teach in this graduate program? Is it going to be an attack on the women that choose to stay at home with their children instead of pursuing careers? Is it going to attack the idea of adoption versus abortion? Is it going to focus on avoiding divorce or excusing divorce? Maybe they should have a class on regaining respect from men, as Dr. Laura mentioned in her blog.

What kind of women will this graduate program produce and how will it affect our world today? I am thankful for the right to vote and that I have the opportunity to work if I so desired. I am not putting down women who have to work to help support their families. But I am thankful that we are blessed that we are able to live on one income and that I can be at home with my kids. I by no means consider it a “concentration camp” or do I consider marriage to be like “slavery.” I pray that this program will focus on the positive and be beneficial instead of resulting in more angry and bitter people in this world.