Val Dumond

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Articles on Writing, Grammar, and Publishing
by Val Dumond

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Val writes articles on grammar, the art and science of writing, and publishing, for budding writers and seasoned authors alike. These articles are not only informative and educational, they're entertaining - written as only Val can. Enjoy this latest of her articles:

Women Are Our Own Worst Enemies
by Val Dumond
©Copyright 2012 - Val Dumond

Before you read this, sit back, close your eyes, and imagine how the world would still swing around the sun if women and men reversed roles. Imagine...

• a government led by women
• arenas offering highly-paid women's sports events
• women managing the nation's finances
• women choosing movie and television entertainment
• women planning education and health institutions

This idea is not new, nor is it impossible. Once upon a time, women did all of those things (not the movies and television parts), leading peaceful cultures that produced generations of peaceful children. Something changed and we find ourselves in deep doo-doo. What could be the cause?

We call ourselves "girls". We refer to our work as "patron of the arts" or "master of …" this and that. We allow ourselves to be included in words ending in "man" (businessman, chairman, seaman, craftsman, statesman, Congressman) and words starting with "man" (mankind, man hours, manhandle, manmade, manpower) and we don't blink. We include ourselves in terms such as "history of man, civilization of man, caveman". But worse, we allow ourselves to be called such names as "girl, bitch, broad, gal, doll, baby."

What has happened since America decided in mid-1900s to be inclusive. We old-timers thought that women were making progress: able to earn what men earn, hold jobs that men hold, be educated as men are, be treated as equal in power to men?

At first, the rosy part took hold:

• more women were admitted to colleges
• more jobs opened up for women
• earnings for comparable work were raised for women
• language was changed to refer to the stewardess as "flight attendant", to a fireman as "firefighter", to a maid as "housekeeper", and to secretaries as "administrative assistants"

Then the backlash began. Something has happened to the way women are perceived that feels much like the pre-Women's Movement days. Young people no longer understand the plight of women, ignoring progress in the belief it's always been this way.

"What's the difference?" a college woman asked when questioned about her status a couple years ago. Talking with that woman the other day, she has changed her tune. She knows. As she entered the real world, she discovered she wasn't offered a salary on a par with her male classmates, and she's being steered toward "executive administration" jobs (they used to be called "secretaries").

Other women still aren't reaching top company jobs held by men, and cannot earn academic tenure and salary in academics on a par with men. And the world is at war again and failing financially and in general, it's a mess.

The Equal Rights Amendment is off the radar for most women and girls under the age of 40. Most young women are unaware that such an amendment to the Constitution is still unratified, still on the books, but not completed.

Today - this very day - women are being sold for sexual services (we call them "professionals"!), some of them right here in the good old U.S. of A. Women are dinged in their careers for having babies. Recently, a woman was not hired "because a man needed the job (as breadwinner) more than she did", a situation that we thought disappeared after the Great Depression.

Women at the New Years parties of 2012 indeed were in better positions in society than women attending such parties in 1912. Still, it's not enough.

The curiosity factor has been removed from placing women in rockets to outer space, on a police force, and in the Marines. Because some progress has been made, energy to bringing the status of women equal to men is lagging.

Politically, a woman in high places in the government is an anomaly. The U.S. has had no woman president or vice president, and only judges on the Supreme Court. Women in Congress do not serve in proportionate numbers to their constituents or their male colleagues.

Women still are kept out of professional baseball and other sports (unless on a women's team). Women are treated frivolously, if not in humiliating ways, in movies, television, and most entertainment. Women are still referred to as "girls", by both men and women. We don't flinch at conversation that says something like, "Did you see how that girl mixes drinks?"

One question that still befuddles is this: why do men wear formal attire that covers their bodies and women are stuffed into skimpy gowns that barely cover their bareness? How many movie scenes show a scantily clad woman with a fully clothed man outdoors? Just because she doesn't shiver doesn't mean she wouldn't be darned cold in a real situation.

Listen for 24 hours to the use of the terms women, girls, ladies, and gals and you may be surprised at what you hear. (If you're doing your listening on television, you can reduce the time to six hours - television is the worst purveyor of the word "girl" to refer to women.)

Reconsideration of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment may not change much in the status of women in the United States - that's the reality of law vs. practical application. However, it would stimulate discussion about the need for the Amendment and what it means for women to be regarded as equal humans - in education, sports, the arts, business, the military, politics, health, and entertainment.

Become aware - very aware - of the words used every day to refer to women and men. Words, such as patron, master, fellow, alumni, and man have no place in reference to women. The "we've-always-said-it" excuse has worn itself thin.

Take care how you refer to women. One day one of those "girls" may become President of the United States. And please do not call me "girl"; I probably am old enough to be your grandmother. And never never refer to me as "bitch, gal, or baby" unless you want to land on the floor!

For more fun with choices and opportunities to ask your questions, check into my blog: The Anarchist's Guide to Grammar.

Val has two soon-to-be-published books: The Anarchist's Guide to Grammar and The Creative Instinct. Meanwhile, check her new books on Kindle:

Ahlam's Stories - Stories of life in Iraq as you haven’t seen it. —Love, marriage, children, work and play, pleasures and tragedies, hope and … life— as told through the eyes of a woman who dearly wants the West to know the real Iraq and its people the way it was before…

Elements of Inclusive Language - How to write without excluding others

For your continued reading enjoyment, here are more articles that Val's written:

Please feel free to contact me. I welcome your comments and any specific questions you may have.