Feminism an International disaster?

What an article in today’s Western Mail! You couldn’t make it up! David Hughes, Chairman of the ManKind Initiative has said that Feminism is to blame for all things bad in modern day life. How dare women go to work and sacrifice their role in the kitchen, he exclaims! Women should be at home looking after the children, and then there wouldn’t be any marriage problems, social inequalities, or political strife! Hmmm.

Of course, I recognise that families are under much more pressure now, and that both parents are often forced to work when children are at an early age due to financial constraints. Parents do spend less time with their children, but we cannot solely blame this trend on feminism. In fact, it shouldn’t be a question of gender at all.

Instead we should be looking at ways of tackling issues surrounding affordable childcare, encouraging family friendly working hours, more social activities for children and their parents outside school hours, as well as providing flexible access to education for those parents who are seeking to re-train after taking time out to rear children, or who are hoping to re-skill. Branding women and feminism as the problem is far too simplistic indeed.

David Hughes seems to go over the top somewhat in his criticism of feminism, if only to ensure newspaper headlines, by stating ‘The detritus left in the wake of 30 years of feminism is considerable, an international disaster. And, as with most other disasters, such as 9/11, it falls mainly to men to clear up the mess’.

Feminism an International disaster? Give me strength! I can’t help but thinking that if the comments above were made about a person with a disability or a person from an ethnic minority of any kind, then such remarks would be frowned upon. It seems that sexism is still rife, and that there’s a long way to go in highlighting the importance of women’s rights.

Such statements will only serve to enhance stereotypes, create gender rifts, and hinder the development of equality of opportunity. We have to work positively to quell such stereotypes, and tackle the problems facing parents and their children in the Twenty First Century.

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Am erthygl yn y Western Mail heddiw! Swrel yn wir! Mae David Hughes, Cadeirydd y sefydliad ‘ManKind’ wedi dweud mai Ffeministiaeth sydd a’r fai am bopeth gwael ym y byd sydd ohoni heddiw. Cywilydd ydyw I fenywod fynd I’r gwaith a rhoi’r gorau I’w rol yn y gegin, mae e’n honi! Dylai menywod fod yn y cartref yn goruchwilio eu plant, ac yna ni fydd yna broblemau priodasol, cymdeithasol na chwaith gwleidyddol! Hmmmm

Wrth gwrs, rwy’n cydnabod bod teuluoedd o dan llawer mwy o bwysau nawr, ac fod rhieni yn cael eu gwthio mewn I ail-ddechrau gwaith pan mae eu plant yn ifanc yn sgil tensiynau ariannol gan amlaf. Mae rhieni yn treulio llai o amser gyda’u plant, ond ni fedrwn rhoi’r bai am y ffenomenom yma ar ffeminyddiaeth. Mewn gwirionedd, ni ddylai rhywedd fod yn rhan o’r ddadl o gwbl.

Yn hytrach na hynny, dylem fod yn edrych am ffyrdd newydd o daclo materion yng nghyd destun gofal plant fforddiadwy, hybu oriau gwaith sydd yn hyblyg I deuluoedd, mwy o weithgareddau allgyrsiol I rhieni a phlant ill dau, yn ogystal a creu’r gallu I rhieni sydd am newid neu datblygu eu sgiliau I gymryd cyrsiau addysgiadol sydd yn gweddu a’I ffordd o fyw. Mae dweud mai ffeminyddiaeth a menywod yw’r broblem yn llawer rhy syml.

Mae David Hughes yn parhau trwy mynd dros ben llestri yn llwyr, os dim ond I sicrhau colofn da mewn papur newydd. Dywed, ‘The detritus left in the wake of 30 years of feminism is considerable, an international disaster. And, as with most other disasters, such as 9/11, it falls mainly to men to clear up the mess’

Ffeminyddiaeth yn argyfwng Byd eang?! Plis! Rho I mi nerth! Rhaid I mi ddweud, tasa’r sylwadau uchod wedi cael ei gyfeirio at rhywun gydag anabledd, neu lleifrif ethnig, yna credaf y byddai’n cael ei feirniadu’n chwyrn. Mae’n ymddangos bod rhywiaeth yn dal I fod, ac mae gwaith I’w wneud ar ein rhan er mwyn hybu achos hawliau menywod.

Bydd datganiadau fel hwn ond yn dwysau stereoteips, yn creu gagendor rhywedd, ac yn amharu ar ddatblygiad hawliau cyfartal. Mae’n orfodol ein bod ni’n gweithio yn bositif I waredu a’r fath stereoteips hyll ma, a thaclo’r problemau mae rhieni a phlant yn dioddef ohono yn yr Unfed Ganrif ar hugain.