On having it all- in defence of feminism

Slaughter's article on having it all suggests that feminism set us up to expect that we could have it all.  The problem in her thesis is that the right to pursue happiness does not equate with the right to happiness.

Feminism may be responsible for many things- women having the right to work, vote, women having the right to work in workplaces where sexual harassment is illegal, etc.  Feminism may also be responsible for increased state support for child-care, for increased state recognition of maternity leave, for legislative changes including affirmative action and equal employment opportunity legislation etc.  But to blame the incompatibility of modern work-places and child rearing on feminism is to assume that having it all is a right.

Critics of Slaughter's thesis are right when they contend that many work-place cultures make raising children and holding down a full-time job difficult.  However, feminism has secured the freedoms that enable us to grapple with work/life balance questions.  Feminism has secured the right for women to participate in these work-places and to choose to focus on a career.

To blame feminism for women not having it all is to deny the positive changes that feminism has made so women have the luxury of thinking about and/or striving for life/work balance.  Feminism has given us choices- more feminist activism could continue to improve work-places and change work-place culture.  The fact that we devalue child-rearing is perhaps most strongly evidenced by the wages we pay child-care workers (Mamamia waxed lyrical on this issue this week).  But this is not the fault of feminism.

Feminism always demanded radical changes.  We achieved some of them.  The fact that we need more change is not the fault of feminism.  On the contrary, we need more feminism to achieve more change.  A more equitable society would increase the happiness of men and women striving in the pursuit of happiness.  Feminism is not part of the problem.  It is part of the solution.

Disavowing feminism because there is feminist work to be done in reforming institutions... now, there's something that's part of the problem!