Woman

I am a woman. Shocking, right? I can honestly say that I do not feel like a traitor when I hear some of the women’s rights talk and inwardly roll my eyes.

I do understand that there are things that need to be fought for that I am not privy too. But I also understand that sometimes someone picks a fight just to fight.

The topic that sparked my thinking was an educational session geared towards women about finding balance with work and family. The writer who was upset by this article made a remark about women not being viewed as professionals.

Now I will say that I didn’t read the whole education session that was being offered. But, I will say that offering such an education session is valid. I don’t believe the session said that no men would be allowed. I know several men who would attend.

To assume that a woman is less professional because she is seeking balance between work and home is a bias on the reader. I see men seeking balance between work and home life just as often as I see women seeking this balance. I see women AND men as MORE professional when they intentionally build a healthy balance between work and home. As I have a home office, I often suck at keeping a healthy balance. I am just thankful that my kiddos come in and chat with me while I’m working at home.

My point is, you can look and find anything and call it sexist because women and men are different. I know sexism is out there. I know it is alive and well. And I run in to it often. Within the last 6 weeks I had two gentlemen tell me that they expected a man when I came to appraise their homes. But I didn’t get offended. They weren’t mean about it. I also don’t get offended when people make faces when I eat a grilled cheese sandwich with jelly on top. I mean, to each their own.

If someone refused to let me in to appraise their home because I am woman. Well, to me, that is where I would draw the line and fight. That is sexism.

But assuming that a man would be coming for an appraisal. Or organizing a class to help people with women in mind. Well, those are harmless misconceptions. There are much bigger fish to fry. I am not on a mission to make everyone think the way I think about women. That would be foolish. I will fight injustice. But, I won’t walk around looking for a reason to be offended. I know how hard I work. I know the quality of my work. And I know I can stand on my own two feet and defend my ethics with a professional gusto that defies a work/home balance (seriously I wonder what was in that class). Ask my kiddos about some of the discussion at our dinner table! We do mingle work and home a bit here.

Tonight I am thankful for those who accept that other people will always think differently than you do. Injustice needs to be fought. Injustice also needs to be labeled correctly. Just because someone is offended, does not equate to a worldly injustice. Being offended about an implied audience for a class is not high on my list.
P.S. If I did run in to a class that was specifically demeaning the professionalism of a woman because she has a family and covering it the premise of an educational class; I would offer free lunches to every man on the street I could find; just to fill every seat in the audience with men. I would chuckle inwardly at the reaction of the class host. And then hope to have a discussion about the bias of the hidden agenda.