Expanding a bit on the post I just reblogged, I absolutely HATE how a surprisingly large portion of the population now thinks that feminism is synonymous with being a "girlboss". The idea that working some kind of professional job and being successful at it is the only way to do feminism is insane. People will literally say "feminism has failed us" or "I'm giving up on feminism" when they're unhappy with their jobs. Babes idk how to explain this to you but that is not a problem with feminism that is a problem with your job. You don't need a rich man to provide for you while you take care of the kids you need a goddamn union and some paid leave
The reason why feminists of past generations fought for middle to upper class women to leave the house and join the workforce was not because they thought working a job is some kind of emotionally fulfilling activity. They fought for that because housewives at the time were completely at the mercy of their husbands. If you were a housewife and your husband was abusive, or you just didn't love him anymore and wanted out, you had nowhere to go. You had no money because he controlled the finances, you had no car or place to stay because his name was on the title for both, you had no job because you stayed at home and no education or work experience with which to get a job because you probably got married pretty young. The point of getting women into the workforce was to make women less dependent on men because if you depend on someone for the roof over your head and the food on your plate, they can do whatever the fuck they want to you and you'll have absolutely no recourse.
The natural next step of this thought process should be "ok, now women are in the workforce, they are not dependent on men in the way they once were, how can we change the structure of work such that it doesn't make everyone fucking miserable" giving up on feminism because your predecessors fought for the right for you to have a well-paying job and your job sucks is such an intellectually lazy conclusion to come to.
Like hey, if you've ever thought "working for a living is miserable, I wish I had a man to pay all the bills" do yourself a favor and ask yourself why that was the solution your brain went to? Why is it that when you feel like work is sucking your soul, the first solution you go to is to become a housewife? Maybe it's because as a girl, you were taught that being a housewife is a good and admirable thing to do, and even though you were also taught that it's good to have a career as a woman, everyone for your whole life has always been subtly, gently nudging you toward the idea of "settling down". Have you considered that perhaps that is an expression of a system of social organization that prioritizes the needs of men over women and encourages women to submit to the whims of men? You know, like some kind of *patriarchy*? Damn if only we had some kind of ideology to combat that...
'girl you don't need a husband you need a union' is such a succinct and badass summary of our next step forward.
