It’s now commonly accepted that fathers of daughters — such as President Obama — are especially supportive of gender equality and opportunity throughout society.
But news since his upbeat article in Glamour magazine earlier this month, “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” is not all that encouraging.
First the President: “In my lifetime we’ve gone from a job market that basically confined women to a handful of often poorly paid positions to a moment when women not only make up roughly half of the workforce but are leading in every sector, from sports to space, from Hollywood to the Supreme Court.”
But this pushback from Cathy Young, columnist of Reason, who feels that many men — and some women — are being shortchanged by contemporary feminism: “… too much modern feminist rhetoric vilifies men … true equality requires fighting all forms of sexism, including the one perpetuated by feminism itself.”
Elsewhere on this spectrum: Reporting this week on a new articulation of The American Bar Association rules of professional conduct, The New York Times noted that mysogynist and demeaning remarks in the course of practicing law will now be penalized: No more ‘honeys’, ‘”darlings” and other sexist remarks and gestures toward women when they are practicing law.
Finally, the Fox News den of iniquity: Even with the departure of chairman Roger Ailes after numerous alleged workplace harassment episodes, the “Harassment Crisis Builds at Fox News, Despite Its Swift Response”, according to a Times report yesterday.
Don’t despair, fathers. And mothers. And all good-hearted Americans. The President’s hope for his aughters, Natasha and Malia, beckons to all of us: “I want them to help to do their part to ensure that America is a place where every single child can make of her life what she will.”