Of feminism and blurring of the sexes (from a woman's perspective)

Of feminism and blurring of the sexes (from a woman's perspective)

In the midst of our change,

We no longer complement one another,

No longer intertwined,

Breaking the delicate balance of nature.

I ask myself- Why did this happen?
There is no single answer.

A twisty problem,

Not easily solved.

Has nature been sacrificed for progress?

When fate,

Is no longer determined by the forces,

But by Man.

Women have come a long way. True, we still take the major responsibility of pregnancy when unfaithful men take flight. True, women still hold a lesser percentage of the top positions. True, successful women are likely to be accused of sleeping their way to the top. However, are women really at a disadvantage compared to men? I'm not sure about other countries, but let's take a look at it in the local context. We expect men to be sensitive yet manly. We expect men to be successful in their careers yet still have time for us. And best of all, we women just seem to be wanting to enjoy all the perks men have in addition to the advantages we women get from men. I'm talking about wanting a successful career while still expecting men to foot the bill on the first date.

In our progress, have both genders changed? It appears that women are getting more masculine while men are getting more feminine. Studies have shown that men have higher sex drives than women. A man once told me- "Men are like microwave ovens, women are like rice cookers." Yet, there is a conflicting study that women are in general getting more promiscuous. Just look at all the raving females ogling at handsome men nowadays.. And who have heard about the terms S.N.A.G and metrosexual say, thirty years ago? I haven't.

If women really want feminism, I'II say go and serve your national service. That'll prove to men once and for all that you're equal. There's no excuse that your physical strength is not up to mark.. Climbing a wall and running for kilometres comes with part of the package of being a male. You want to be equal, right?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not denouncing feminism. I'm just confused with the blurring of the sexes. It's because of this reason that I'm grateful that men are still the dominant gender in engineering and ditto for women in the arts and social sciences. At least the studies that have shown that men are more capable in mathematics and women more so in languages have not gone to waste. Ditto for studies showing that men are generally more aggressive and women are relatively more docile. And again, ditto for the fact that generally men tend to be more left-brained and women right brained, though perhaps that's not always true. Yet, all these research have not gone to waste. At the very least, they reassure the men and women of the world of the differences inherent between us.

I really wonder whether we have overdone the feminism movement in Singapore.Can someone please explain to me why men now go to foreign countries to get brides? Do they really love them? Are we Singaporean women at fault for this trend? Sometimes it seems that the men want to get settled down while the women don't. Perhaps we're enjoying our empowerment we get from making a living for ourselves. Perhaps we're aggressive women who don't want to slave over a stove and do household chores. Yet, on the other hand, perhaps we haven't found the right one yet, whatever that means.

If men are dissatisfied with us,I am of the belief that we should set up a "malinism" movement. They can hold sessions to discuss their issues and their dissatisfaction with Singaporean women at any rate. I made up this term derived from the word male. It's a pun on feminism actually. If we merely have feminism, women will always be seen as the weaker sex, which is untrue. A movement exists to protect the rights of a certain group. If so for women, why not for men? Men have their weaknesses as well.

This article was actually born after a seminar that I had attended regarding Singaporean women in the 21st Century. There was a question and answer section and one man was asking what the difference was between men and women in Singapore now. He was confused and demanded what women really want. He also felt that that the feminism movement had already gone too far in Singapore.

Well, here's to all men out there who are as confused as him. These are the basics we women are wanting from you:

Don't treat us as merely sexual objects. Don't beat us. Don't deprive us of equal chances and opportunities in the career world. Of course, there might be women who ask for more. Yet, these are the fundamental basics we women ask for. And if you can give this to us, we'll just like to say a BIG THANK YOU!