Be careful of what you wish for

[kandrathe]

I was challenging your assertion that "women's role in American society, opportunities for self determination, and personal sovereignty are THE model for the rest of the modern world"

Well, first to qualify (or disqualify as it may be) myself. I am not a woman, and so I can not *really* relate to what they have or do go through in terms of opportunity and discrimination. But, I hire women. I work with them every day. I'm married to one, and I am the son of one. My mother was one of those liberated American women who went against her husbands wishes and started working outside the home. My wife was a dedicated feminist until recently (i'll explain that later), and had achieved a very lofty VP position in a prestigious advertising firm.

But, there seem to be some career fields that are entrenched male havens, even though universities and companies go well out of their way to try to attract female candidates. I'm thinking of some of the many fields of engineering, and other technical fields. Perhaps some of the other persons on this board who are engineers can add their insights. Other than that, as Arethra Franklin would say, "women are doing it for themselves."

Now, back to viewing the work world from my wifes experiences on her climb to the top. It was not always easy, but it is hard to determine how much of that difficulty involved overcoming "the old boys club". Having achieved her goal, and staying there for 5 years she decided that she had had enough of the corporate dog eat dog world and so she quit, and rededicated her life to artistic pursuits and raising a family. I think she has realized that true empowerment for a women is in choosing a role that fills you with joy, even if that role flies in the face of the 60's feminist ideal. She has given herself (the feminist in her) permission to have joy in her life, pursue "womanly" things, and have kids, rather than live an empty life becoming another morally bankrupt CEO.

Now, are we a model? I dunno. Seems that US women were the first in modern history to assert their rights and get them.