On Equality

I'm a feisty kind of girl, the type that can't stand to be underestimated or objectified. I'm easily ticked off if people display disbelief when I go to lift a 50 pound bag of oats or use a hacksaw. The phrase "you're doing a man's job" is a derogatory one to me and the ultimate insult is being ogled and heckled on my way home from the kitchen. In my mind, these things show a lack of respect for women.

However, I have recently started to feel guilty about my possible overreactions. After all, I did just read "A Woman Among Warlords", a book about the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan. My experience of "inequality" is nothing compared to what these sisters have gone through and continue to face. I can walk home alone without threat of Taliban or fundamentalist punishment or the possibility of being raped as a strategy of war. The way I dress is mine to choose, though I know those choices will determine the amount of hassling I get on my walk.

I really should be aware of the freedoms I have rather than complain about the small things I encounter.