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NOBODY'S BODY BUT MINE
PART 4: BACKLASH
by Beth Grimes
It was probably inevitable that there would be a male backlash to the gains women have made. Many men see women's progress toward equality as a loss to themselves. One organization which has been vehemently opposed to feminism and everything feminist philosophy stands for is the National Coalition of Free Men.
The first page of NCFM's Historical overview lists what it considers "Some Common Untruths About Gender in the USA":
Obviously, no thinking woman believes that the above items are what most women or most feminists think. It does seem obvious that most men have more political and economic power than most women. No one maintains that wives never abuse their husbands. But what is true is that when men and women physically attack each other, women are more than 7 times more likely to be seriously injured than are men. What is also true is that 26 percent of female murder victims are slain by their husbands or boyfriends and just 3 percent of male victims are killed by wives or girlfriends, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation crime reports for 1995.
Only a certifiably paranoid woman is of the opinion that allmen are in a "conscious conspiracy to keep all women in fear of rape". However, rape is a despicable crime and it is far too prevalent.
The last "untruth" regarding women's need for "special compensation because of past discrimination" is ludicrous. What women want is equality of opportunity and equal pay for work of equal value. What is so unreasonable about that? Never mind "past discrimination". Women would like to see present discrimination ended.
The NCFM document goes on to state that:
It's true that men's birth control options are somewhat limited, but surely responsibility for contraception is something that a couple decides together in a mutually loving, respectful relationship. Men are at a disadvantage in the work place? If true, why do men still earn more than women in almost every occupation? Women can choose whether or not to go into the military, but so can men. There is no draft at present.
The last item about women's work choices would make all but a wealthy woman laugh - through her tears. Women who work do so for the same reason men work - they need money to help support their families. And it is not a matter of choice for very many women today.
To say that a full-time homemaker and mother isn't working is an insult. Any man who believes that hasn't spent time caring for a couple of pre-schoolers while doing all the housework, cooking and errands. Women who work outside their homes not only contribute to the couple's income, but also do most of the domestic work and child care.
Perhaps the most absurd accusation hurled at feminists by NCFM is that it grew out of "socialism" in the sixties. Anyone familiar with development of the second wave of feminism in that period knows that feminists and marxists were in opposition then and ever since. The "left-wing" label is one more NCFM attempt to discredit women struggling for equality by invoking the "S" (socialist) word.
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