The Truth about Women's Work

FEMINISM - How much are women paid in Canada and the United States?

In Canada the average woman earns 72.5 cents for every dollar a man earns.

In the United States the pay equity is 77.8 cents, but only only 71 cents for African American women and 58 cents for Latinas.

Both countries have pay equity laws, but the differences is actually the type of work men and women generally do. Men gravitate towards high paying factory work or management positions, whereas women tend to get jobs in the service industry and are overlooked for promotions into a managerial position.

Although truthfully, some women also reject promotions because they choose their families over spending more time on their career (see the Career and Family Dilemma). Some of them might even be single parents and thus don't really have time for a highly demanding career. Nothing wrong with that, if anything its a moment where we should criticize men for taking promotions and becoming a neglectful father.

Some promotions, I believe, should be given to people who are single and don't have children to worry about. Of course, some parents might argue against this idea because they're also thinking of terms of more money, better job security and hopefully providing more for their child's education/etc. Evidently it is a balancing act and open to personal interpretation.

Then there is a different matter... unpaid women's work. Or more specifically, domestic work such as cooking and cleaning (because technically a stay-at-home dad could also do those tasks). Its notoriously difficult to track domestic work, and its not just "cooking and cleaning". It could also cover gardening, home repairs, renovations and car repairs for those who like to do-it-themselves. Some economists have tried to measure what the economic contribution such things are...

But frankly I think its impossible to measure and wholly inaccurate. There is a dramatic difference between domestic partners who stay at home, cook, clean, fix the car, renovate the house, grow tomatoes/potatoes/peas/corn, sews/mends their clothes and darns their socks... and the type of person who just sits at home watching TV or playing computer games all day. One is evidently an economic benefit to the family unit... whereas the other is dependent and seemingly incapable of making themselves useful.

And then there's the value of parenting itself. Teaching your children life skills and morals. How do you put a price on that?

By that time you get to that, and assuming the person isn't a neglectful parent, you realize their value becomes incalculable and how important good parenting is.

Hockey player suspended over sexist comment

FEMINISM/CANADA - Hockey agitator Sean Avery, the NHL's most hated player, was suspended indefinitely today because of comments he made:

“I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about. Enjoy the game tonight.” - Sean Avery, referring to his ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert.

Actress Elisha Cuthbert is currently dating Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf and the comment was considered to be a shot below the belt both at the fellow player and just plain inappropriate.

The comment certainly does reflect badly on the notoriously sexist National Hockey League (NHL), but things are trying to change.

“This is a situation where he’s painted our organization with a brush nobody wants to be painted with,” said Avery's coach Dave Tippett. “I know from a personal standpoint, that’s not the way I want to be perceived as an organization and as a team.”

There has only been ONE female hockey player in the history of the NHL: Her name is Manon Rhéaume and she has only played in two exhibition games for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Exhibition games are only for show.

So when will women ever be taken seriously in the NHL? Its nice that they're curbing the bad language against women, but its past time women athletes broke the glass ceiling.

Pakistani Teen murdered and her baby tossed into canal

FEMINISM - Right: Zakara Bibi Solangi holds up a picture of her murdered daughter Tasleem Solangi.

Taslim Solangi, an 8 months pregnant Pakistani teen from Khairpur, was forced to give birth prematurely and then was thrown in front of a pack of dogs, all of this because her father-in-law claimed that the child she was expecting was out of wedlock.

The baby, meanwhile, was disposed off in a canal.

Father-in-law, Zamir Solangi, who is responsible for this gruesome act, took the pregnant girl from her mother’s and subsequently swore of the Holy Quran that he wouldn’t harm her. Evidently he lied. Feeding her to dogs is still murder.

Zamir Solangi has yet to be captured by the local police even though the accused has openly made threats about killing the lynched teen’s mother.

Domestic Abuse in the USA

In the United States child abuse is reported on an average of every 10 seconds and
3 children die every day as a result of such abuse.

Domestic violence is the #1 cause of birth defects according
to the March of Dimes.

67% of abusers also abuse their children.

30% of all murders are women being killed by their partners.

1 in every 3 women is a victim of domestic violence
at some time in their life.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women
age 15 to 44.

In 87% of violent homes, children witness the battering.

15 - 25% of pregnant women are battered.

Up to 50% of all homeless women in the country are fleeing
from domestic violence.

75% of emergency room visits by battered women occur
after they have been separated.

A Woman is beaten every 9 seconds in the U.S.

According to the U.S Dept. of Justice almost 54% of all men
experienced physical assult as a child at the hands of an adult
caretaker.

About 2,000 of America's infants and young children die each
year due to domestic violence.

1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by age 16 31% of sexual
abuse victims under the age of 6 are male.

See Also:

The Ten Worst Countries for Women

Femicide in Guatemala & Canada

Monstrous Domesticity

Self Defense Against Rapists

Rapists are typically stronger than the women they target. Rapists prefer to pick targets that are smaller, mouse-like, has long hair and easy to rip off clothing. Their goal is to overpower you with pure strength, speed and surprise. You need to outsmart them.


1. When the rapist puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. This isn't just painful, its likely to drive the man to his knees.



2. After the initial hit, always go for the GROIN. It is extremely painful for men to get kicked in the crotch. You might think this is risky because it will anger the rapist, but it is much more likely to give you the extra time needed to run away.


3. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the rapist either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. Pinching extremely hard can even rip out muscle in this vulnerable area.



4. If you carry pepper spray carry it an easy to reach location and aim at the rapist's eyes. Hold it away from yourself so you don't accidentally hit yourself. The last thing you need is to get blinded too.


5. Carry an umbrella is a deterrent and anything like that helps. Trying to use your keys to scratch a rapist doesn't work well. Your teeth and nails are significantly sharper and more useful.


6. Stay aware of your surroundings. Tripping, pushing or knocking the rapist can be very useful in your efforts to get away. A classic way to trip someone is to stick one foot behind his leg and then push against his shoulders or chest, causing the rapist to fall backwards.


7. If his groin is too well protected his eyes won't be. A quick jab with two fingers to the rapist's eyes can both hurt and blind him.


8. A punch to the rapist's neck can also be very effective. It hurts his ability to breathe properly and this attack can also be fatal if you collapse his windpipe and he suffocates.


9. Punching just under the jaw and pushing upwards is a classic move that can knock the rapist down, but it will only be temporary.


10. RESIST. Don't give up easily. Rapists usually figure out in the first minute whether their target is worth the effort.

Korean Women: Not allowed to Pregnant

RELIGION/HEALTH - What does this sign mean?

Based on my friend's limited Korean it means pregnant women shouldn't sit down.

Where was this image found? On a subway? We're not sure. We're guessing it might be to prevent miscarriages from bumpy rides... or is it discriminatory against pregnant women?

Korea has some unusual superstitions. ie. If a pregnant woman miscarries she has to wear lots of clothes for 2 weeks so she will heal faster; babies can't be taken out of the house until after their "baek-il" (one-hundred-day) party; leaving a fan on in a closed room will suffocate the occupants; having sex with the lights on will cause infertility; refrigerators should be filled only 60% to prevent food poisoning; the number four sounds like death; you can't write your name in red ink because it was the colour used to write the names of the dead during the Korean War; and its bad luck for a man to sit beside a woman in a car whom he is not married to.

Fan death is by far the most amusing, as the South Korean government still issues warnings about the dangers of fan suffocation.

Please remember we're also talking about a country where women still use squat toilets and men use normal toilets. Toilet protectors for women aren't commonly found over there.

Virginity, Chastity and Muslim Beauty Queens

DIVORCE - A Muslim couple in France are still married tonight because the husbands request for annulment was turned down by a French tribunal.


The problem started in 2006 when on their wedding night the husband discovered that his wife was not a virgin (or at very least didn't bleed when her hymen broke, which is known to happen). He immediately stomped out of the bedroom and into the still active wedding party and demanded the vows be undone.


The case provoked wide outrage as an attack on male-female equality. One female government minister called the original tribunal ascent a "fatwa against the emancipation of women."


The issue of virginity amongst Muslim women is so controversial that some women either "fake their virginity" or have surgery to have their hymen restored.


Annulments in France have been granted for impotence, sterility, a criminal record, foreign nationality undisclosed, prostitution, and discovery of a previous divorce. The French tribunal saw this for what it was: Denunciation of a woman for having sex outside marriage (while the husband in question had previous sexual experience), discrimination based on anachronistic traditions, and imposition of religious values on secular law. The tribunal made the following comment:

"Virginity can in no case constitute an essential quality. It is not possible to obtain an annulment on such a discriminatory basis; this motive is an attack on male-female equality, the right to dispose of one's own body, and human dignity. It would be contrary to public order to grant an annulment on the grounds of non-virginity."

The couple can still apply for an annulment on more legal grounds, such as if they don't love each other and never did.


Meanwhile lets back up a few years and go to Germany... the 2005 Miss Germany was Asli Bayram, the first Muslim to be chosen as Germany's beauty queen.


Born in 1981 Germany Asli's father was killed by a Neo-NAZI when she was 12 years old, and unlike stereotypical beauty queens Asli is serious about her career as an actor, but also spends a significant amount of time trying to be a role model for young Muslim women.


There's also a rumour that she might end up guest starring on CBC's Little Mosque on the Prairie as she is currently touring Canada.


Evidently its not just Muslim women who need role models. Its Muslim men who need better role models and need to understand that virginity only effects one night of your marriage. GET OVER IT.

The Truth about Botox

HEALTH - Its bad enough that the advertising industry lies to us regularly, but pressuring women with the idea that its safe to use botox...? Scary. I seem to recall the breast implant industry using the same tactics. Its amazing the number of women willing to go under the knife for the sake of fake beauty.

Of course these days the beauty industry tries to be more sophisticated, but they're not above preying on the fears of women, and one of our biggest fears is growing old and becoming ignored.

I found this excellent video which illustrates the lies used by the botox industry... and I will point out that REAL doctors don't recommend botox, but slimy money-grubbing estheticians do... and it will only cost you $299.99 to inject your face with needles.

Scary? Not half as scary as the women hired to smile for the camera while being injected. Its like they don't even have souls any more...

Disney Princesses, Capitalism and Feminism

ENTERTAINMENT - Disney princesses don't slay dragons, play sports or go to university. Higher academics, athletics don't seem to be on their list of things to do.

Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and newly added Tiana and Rapunzel... they have all perfected the art of being the damsel in distress. Even the bookish Belle, the runaway Jasmine and the resourceful Pocahontas... they all are beholden to having a man rescue them. Mulan is the only one that actually gets a sword.

Girl power? Don't make me laugh.

As a franchise Disney has done very well at selling clothes, toys, dolls to your kids. As cute as the little dresses are Disney's primary goal is your wallet.

You may laugh when your daughter says she wants to be a princess when she grows up, but what is she really aspiring to? Wearing pretty dresses and being rescued all the time? We all know there's no knight in shining armour. REAL relationships are about communication, mutual respect and spending time with each other.

There's also the health issue... all the Disney Princesses are anorexic. Do we really need to encourage our daughters to emulate the super thin?

Fairy tales have been around for centuries, little girls have always liked pretty dresses, and its no surprise little girls like them. But should parents be going out of their way to buy their kids all the Disney crap? Does the Disney Corporation really need more money?

Why not buy something that is good for your daughter's health and education?

This Christmas, I encourage parents to go out and buy their kids some sports equipment. Or something that will stimulate their brains.

The Disney Princesses may have beauty, but our daughters need more brawn and brains.

Sometimes Women just say NO to Kids

FEMINISM - Motherhood isn't for everyone. Its not really a feminist issue. Its just a matter of choice. (Its the ability to have a choice [or a vote] is where feminism comes in.)

Some women don't hate children, but they don't want them either. That's why some women decide to get her tubes tied. They KNOW, for whatever reason, that they are just not the mothering type. This is a difficult concept for some people, including myself who adores kids (and have dedicated my life to teaching them) but eventually I came to the realization that this was HER CHOICE. She had made the decision she didn't want kids, and even if she changed her mind later she could always adopt. Arriving at this decision can be difficult, but once the decision is made "getting fixed" is the easy part.

There are a variety of techniques for those sexually active women out there who want to neuter themselves. If you're curious about them I suggest researching the different techniques, their benefits, whether they can be reversed, possible side effects and of course talk to your doctor (who will ask you a series of questions to check your seriousness, like "What if you met a billionaire who wanted to have kids with you?").

Telling your parents might be the most difficult part. They have a tendency to cry when they realize they will never have grandkids.

(NOTE: According to a male friend some guys also think about getting fixed too, and he even discussed the matter with his parents and they were vehemently opposed to it. He has yet to do it, but he was seriously considering it apparently because he believes strongly in adoption.)

So when you think about it choosing not to have kids is not really a feminist decision. It doesn't make you a heartless bitch either. Some women just don't feel like being mothers. Some want to get married and have kids. Some even prefer to be single parents.

Feminist Perspectives on Reproduction and the Family

Wombs for Rent

A Woman's Choice - Abortion and the Right to Choose