On Female Equality and a Response to The Probligo

I have this thought: If there weren't that many free women (probably from not having to work because their husbands bring home the bread, bacon and cheese!) around, there wouldn't be a feminist movement. With most things in the world, it is the mind of an idle person who can think of all the nonsense. Of course, I am most likely wrong and I shouldn't have digressed but I am glad I did.

If I ask around today, I might be able to get a good number of people to agree that feminism is now becoming a dirty word. I have no doubts that the feminist movement started out with a noble aim - fighting for equality for women - but one suspects the feminist cause to be perverted by radical women pushing for hardcore femini-jihadism these days. I don't think such firebrand feminists have many supporters or sympathisers - this could explain why Dr Thio Su Mien did not get the support she had expected from the women despite playing the gender card. Thus, such extremists probably exist and operate covertly.

Equality for women should be the expected default position in any society. In a meritocractic society especially, an woman and a man with equal qualities should be viewed, appraised and rewarded equally. Unfortunately, equality is an ideal and with all ideals, they are elusive and largely unachievable.

I am not arguing that we should let the imbalance or inequality continue but unless something can be done about the innate qualities of the two sexes, there is little to argue here. For one, men can't bear children. Trust me, if men could, many of them probably wouldn't want wives.

Where I come from, the laws are vehemently anti-men. Get a divorce under the Women's Charter and see what happens to the man. The Women's Charter might as well be called the anti-Men Charter. If women and men are indeed placed on equal footing, then why is it that women (notice I do not call them the fairer sex) are still hiding behind the charter? Our female population is better educated than the male population!

Our laws are highly punitive of men who beat their wives. The irony is, the number of women involved in spousal battery and abuse is now catching up. So, why haven't the laws changed? We still can't hang female murderers, kidnappers and drug smugglers. Why the special treatment? Are women less vicious when they kill?

Pregnancy-based discrimination could be rife in the past but to try to engage in that now could bring about dire consequences for the company. No doubt, credit goes to the feminist movement. Equal credit should go to the company who is able to tolerate such nonsense. What happens when the pregnant woman go on maternity leave? Who takes over the work and gets it done? Either the men or other women. So why shouldn't the men or other non-childbearing women be paid more? If that is the case, then where is the equality? Men also want to have their own babies and go on 6 months' worth of maternity leave! At least I know I would want to. But can I?

For crying out loud, I can't even adopt a child because I am a man. And what makes the law think that "mothering" instincts come (more) naturally to women? Some women I know of shouldn't even have uteruses, much less kids!

I believe Singapore women have shown great restraint and maturity in not falling for the feminist mentor's rubbish. I believe Singapore workers - men and women - know the limitations of each sex and have found some form of tolerable balance so that both sexes can coexist without much trouble.

I should think that for many people, gone are the days of the bra-burning feminists, just like the Communists (in Singapore). I am all for supporting female equality but if any woman tries to play the feminist card and gets whiplashed because of her radical ideas, then I have no sympathy for her.

For a start, if we were to review most of the existing systems to give women an equal footing, there is no guarantee that the women are not going to lose more than they gain. A smart feminist would therefore be well-served to count her spoils and blessings instead undermining the efforts of the earlier "suffragettes" (Dictionary.com tsk-tsked me and said I should use "suffragist" as the term suffragette is often considered demeaning) and "equalists" through crowing and scratching senselessly.