Wow, this is just irritating on multiple levels...
dtekdahl makes a decent point. Women and Men are different. Men cannot get pregnant, Men aren't exactly qualified candidates for breastfeeding, and there are also differences in the physiology that mean men are generally better qualified for certain tasks and women are generally better qualified for other tasks. It's this dichotomy that makes the Man/Woman relationship such a useful thing.
However, there has been this push for "equality" and even in those cases where the people are actually pushing for true equality, and not for special privileges, I still think there are problems associated with this push.
The problem lies in the difficulty of weighing the "equality" of two completely different creatures. Both have entirely different strengths and weaknesses. If you view every single one of these, then I'm certain people would already find that Women and Men are already quite equal, but the problem is that people are only looking at specific aspects for the basis of judging equality.
This poses the problem that women are being pushed, whether literally or merely from perception, to achieve in areas that aren't necessarily part of their strengths, but also often at the expense of of other important aspects of their identity as a woman.
Perhaps this is merely anecdotal evidence, but I've heard of a number of cases where very successful women have not been happy in their success, as it often involved quite a bit of sacrifice of their time as mother/wife etc.
Women are generally more emotional than men, and this is not a bad thing. I know it is often my fiance that helps work me out of my shell to ensure we maintain a constant line of communication, and this has done a great deal to ensure the success of our relationship. However, this also will, again in general, leave women much harder pressed to deal with extended periods away from their family with long business hours and that type of daily stress.
Another thing I notice is that women generally are far better at letting go of stress than men are, but ONLY if they have an outlet for that stress, either by talking to someone or venting their frustrations in some other manner. Men tend to hold in stress, but are also able to suppress the need for an outlet, which can help ensure better business relations. Of course, without ANY outlet, this can easily lead to problems with health and eventually reach a breaking point to where the built up stress simply boils over.
I will wrap up these points simply by stating that yes, Women and Men are equal. Yet they are also VERY different. The choice of how to live one's life is up to the person in question, and in the case of a couple in a relationship, that choice needs to be discussed between both members. However, in making this choice, both sides, whether working to provide further income or staying home to raise a family, needs to be recognized for their full merits.
Whatever the decision, happiness will most likely be obtained through recognition of ones achievements. In my eyes, being a good mother, wife and homemaker is just as much to be valued and appreciated as a woman who is a top business executive. This is probably why in the various talks I've had with my fiance, she doesn't mind that possibility, but also leaves the possibility open for her to continue working. I know that whatever decision she makes will be with the best interest for both us and whatever family we have at the time, and I'll support her in that decision.
Not all of these points apply to all women, or all men. There will always be cases that deviate from the norm. But the point that I am making, and that i think dtekdahl is attempting to make, is that this strange idea that a woman has run her own business or do all of the same things a man does in order to be "equal" is rather ridiculous. If anything, the push for "equality" has only made it harder for a woman to be recognized as being equal if she happens to chose a life direction that is stereotypically "feminine" Which shouldn't be the case at all.
