XXSex

i am a feminist.
this is not a radical position. it is the position of a person, who upon finding themselves to have been born female, and continued to be so, did not, at any point find themselves thinking 'this Inequality lark has Sorted Itself out nicely, hasn't it? i wonder if it's my turn to clean behind the toilet.' Feminism did not begin with the Suffragettes, it was not killed off by the Eighties; it is not defined or diminished by MTV. It is not an Insult, or a Secret Organisation commited to bringing down Wikileaks. It is not obsolete: if you are a woman, you are a feminist. Or you are a doormat- and if you are the Mother of a Girl, you are perpetuating what has constrained you.
There is a advert on tv at the moment, which attempts to attract more men into Teaching, by encouraging them to bring more adventure to learning. A group of little boys Run Wild in a wood, building and climbing and expressing their 'natural enthusiasm', while SuperTeach whoops alongside. Superimposed, a classroom of tidy, uniformed girls, chewing their pencils thoughtfully, and raising their hands to answer questions. about fabric conditioner and fridge deoderisation presumably.
Now, i have 4 sons and a daughter. My daughter is diligent, well-behaved and polite at school. Her teachers think the world of her. her reports are glowing, affectionate, even. Her elder brother's were a a litany of Petty Rebellion and Irk. He was the child who refused to go and 'sit in an old cow stall to wave at the queen', 'the only child in the school', as the head teacher pointed out, 'how disappointing'. Which one of the two is more likely to break out of the Little Boxes of Life and Soar over the Horizon, do you think?
i am a feminist because we are still Failing our Daughters. because while we value, even expect certain traits in girls; moderation, quiet, neatness- traits that enable an overworked teacher to better manage a room of extremely variable children- the characteristics we allow in boys- excitability, physicality, action, are the ones which will win out, which will equip them for the fight for a Life Worth Having. and come time to get a job, all those bright, funny little Female People are likely to find themselves being paid less, and valued less than their Male Counterparts.
i am a feminist. i am not biased Against Men, but maybe Towards Women. i don't want the boys back in the classroom, any longer than it takes to explain to them how to iron a blouse and turn on a cooker. What i do want, is to see the girls hanging from the rope bridge, and skimming stones, and storming the treehouses, in preparation not for a battle of the sexes, but for the fight for a Decent Society, where we are All feminists- whatever sex we are.