Why do you enjoy being a woman?

runawaywithme07 yes I agree word for word! I don't know what an MRA is though, some posters are saying you must be one or something but I don't know what they are.

I think it's a real, real shame that on a thread like this- celebrating being a woman- other posters are mocking you for your contribution. I think this is why so many people are looking at feminism and choosing not to identify with the word, despite believing in the values. Because now, unless we all think the same about being a woman- we can't possibly be one and must be a man/troll whatever.

Seriously MN- can you see the damage you are doing? Soon women will think they can't possibly be a feminist because they like pretty clothes or have the occasional weepy moment.

I've never really thought about, just enjoyed being me. I've enjoyed trying to get pregnant, but not being pregnant or giving birth. Seeing the babies that I've produced grow up into adults has been the most amazing experience. I enjoy the close friendships that I have other women, and wearing some lovely clothes, but not feeling the need to wear makeup. If I was a man I suppose I would miss (besides multiple orgasms) having my DP to love me: that is the best thing about being who I am.

I don't dislike being a woman but DH and I both notice the challenges that I face that he doesn't (we are from identical backgrounds) purely because I'm female and sometimes it gets a bit wearisome. And looks like I won't be able to "grow people inside me" so don't even have the upside of that. Despite some difficult times of late I am generally a very lucky person but I think life would have been easier as a man.

There can be power and strength in being an outsider or part of a minority (as I am in a male-dominated career).

As I get older, I care less about what people think. Having defied a few gender stereotypes in getting to where I am - and in making the life choices that I have - it becomes easier not to care about what people think. For example, I don't have to conform to the male corporate dress code and I don't have to be as aggressive and competitive as some of my male colleagues. I sometimes think that I have more freedom as a woman because, as an oddity anyway (being frequently the only woman in the room), I can challenge the accepted way of doing things.

But - and it's a big but - this freedom only arises because I have had some career success and have the confidence that comes from economic security and a decent education. It's not something that most women have at the start of their careers, or if they lack the economic and social power to forge their own paths through life (whether because of cultural expectations or being reliant on men at home or in the workplace). For me, that is why it is so important to be aware of women's place in society as a whole and to continue the feminist fight!

It took me a long time to accept being a woman, and how it happened was I had a revelation that my feelings about being a woman were wrapped up in how I was treated for being female. Which had been pretty bad up to that point, and I had so internalised the message about being nice and not selfish that I had almost completely muted myself.

I grew people inside me. I fed the ones that survived to birth using my body.

Female friendships. Women are funny. Those friendships and the wisdom of women have helped me to navigate the misogynistic culture we live in and provided love and care when I have experienced the built in violence of it.

I never gave it much thought, except when molested on the tube/in the park or wherever, happened quite a few times. In that case, I'd love to have the strength of a man and be able to respond. Apart from that, I've always considered myself a person blessed with a healthy body that happened to be female.

As I get older, I am more aware of how some things are down to me being a woman. Before I had kids, I was asked during job interviews (always by women) if I wanted children. Now that I have kids, they grill me about childcare and if I am planning a third. I realise that being a mother will hamper my career if I don't put in 150% of the effort men put in.

I have only just realised that women are "other" in relation to men - default people are men. That was quite an epiphany, a depressing one unfortunately.

I enjoyed pregnancy and giving birth, multiple orgasms are fabulous - those are the only things I can think of that I wouldn't be able to experience as a man. I enjoy being me, the fact that I'm a woman still doesn't feel very important to me. I would definitely feel different if I'd have been unlucky enough to be born in a country with a physically violent misogynist culture.

I like the fact that my gender and personality are in sync. Gender wise, I feel exactly right and it’s lovely because in most other areas of my life I feel there’s an uncomfortable mismatch e.g. enjoying intellectual discussions but not having the intellect to match, no strong identification with a particular social class because my early life doesn’t match my adult life.
Gone a bit off track there, but yes happy being female.

Sorry, multiple orgasms Yes Yes YES

Multiple orgasms ! Yes

I’m really glad I got to experience pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. But now I am finished with all that i’d happily wake up as a man tomorrow. I’d prefer that to going through menopause etc!

Even the most well informed highly educated scientist will have unconscious bias which shows up in their work even when it shouldn't.

You're totally right and shouldn't happen and it's terrible that it does.

Anyway..... derail....

Patodp that’s like saying if terrorists stopped committing murder in the name of Allah, Muslims wouldn’t experience racial abuse. No you can’t stop people casting judgment as you say, but educated, rationale people should not be casting those judgments. Your “kind of think” comment appears to endorse such judgments

I don't enjoy being a woman. I'm just me. I like that I get to put on make-up when I want and feel sorry that men can't do this any more (historically, they did) because it is so creative but apart from that, there's nothing I really "enjoy".

I especially don't enjoy that I would have been taken so much more seriously in my career if I had been a man.

I don't enjoy it or not enjoy it, I just am.

TBH the idea of babies inside me freaks the shit out of me and I am so glad I won't have to do that. I could do without periods and feeling crappy too (although now on Mirena which brings slightly different issues wow I didn't realise my boobs could bloat so much)

But those things aside, I don't know if I'd like being a man much either. All that repressed emotion and "one of the lads banter" bullshit. And they have to wear ties for no useful reason too.

I DO envy anyone who has a lifelong best friend though. For various reasons I have maybe 2 friends at absolute tops, although I rarely see either of them due to distance.

As I get older I realise just how much easier my life would have been if I'd been a man. Sometimes it feels as though women are going backwards.

Especially a non-working class man. It seems to me that a penis and a posh voice will take you pretty much anywhere. All confidence and entitlement and not mattering what you look like/weigh.

I hated being a girl because my family were majorly into gender stereotyping, and being a girl was a load of drudgy shit allied with having to 'look nice'.

These days I'm fucked off because my nhs hospital trust thinks it's acceptable to leave women in considerable gynaecological pain for a very long time.

The bit in the middle was being treated like crap at work.

No of course not but you can't stop people casting judgement on a group because of the actions of some in that group, when the actions are so extreme and specific to that group.

(But then... kind of also think maybe men should stop being sex offenders and paedophiles then they can stop complaining about that perception...)

I can’t get on board with this. An individual cannot be accountable for the actions of another individual just because they are members of the same sex class.

My husband says the same. He says he doesn't know any man who would be willing to be a parent if they had to go through pregnancy and, particularly, birth. And he truly can't fathom why anyone would see trying to do it all without pain relief as a worthy aim.

** N.A.M.A.L.T.

Men are often treated suspiciously and as potential sex attackers or paedophiles

This is so sad but true. Like my dad feels very awkward going for a walk by himself through the local park, he loves his walks, but said he has to avoid the child's play area because he's paranoid people will think "oh there's that man again lurking around the children".

(But then... kind of also think maybe men should stop being sex offenders and paedophiles then they can stop complaining about that perception...)

As a woman I haven't really thought about it much but I guess we can walk around on pur own without people thinking we must be up to no good...

AbsolutelyCorking It's interesting that you say it's bonkers to feel sorry for men not having babies because they wouldn't want to. I think you are right - my dad has said he can't understand why any woman would do it more than once, given how much it hurts. He has a close bond with his dc, so from his pov he got all the good stuff and none of the discomfort.
From my pov though, I think he has no comprehension of how amazing it was to me to grow humans from scratch. I guess nature has made men and women largely content with our biological roles so we carry on producing humans.

I feel that carrying my children, then breastfeeding them gave me a special early bond with my children. I can’t know, of course, what it would be like to be a father. I’m sure there are some men who feel very bonded to their children too.

Societally, I’ve always felt that women are seen as more caring than men. Despite efforts from people trying to prove women are bitchy and pull each other down, that hasn’t been my experience. I like the idea of being part of the more caring sex.

I'm a bit ambivalent really. As I've never been a man I couldn't really say how different that would be. I am lucky enough to like being me, I'm content with my personality and my body, which is I think relatively unusual. I look at my children and marvel that they grew inside of me but didn't much enjoy being pregnant, their births were a bit detached (ds) and bloody scary (dd). Breastfeeding had it's ups and downs and dh has spent more time as a SAHP than I have. I remember thinking how unfair it was that dh couldn't take over the pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding thing for one of our children as I resented it all being on me.

All in all I don't feel that my life is so very different to that of my dh really. There have been moments of discrimination or of irritating 'chivalry' but on the whole I've felt treated as a person rather than as a woman, and that's how I like it to be. I'm not radically non conforming but I don't like shopping, fancy clothes or shoes. I've had some good groups of women to socialise and some to look up to, but also enjoy hanging out with men. dh gets a bit bothered about being thought of as a threat, but there again I get to feel a bit threatened from time to time to we're about quits there I think.

Funnily I just asked dh the best thing about being a guy and he said 'penises' where I've always thought that had to be one of the worst (handy for peeing though). I'm heterosexual but women's bodies are just more aesthetically pleasing, at least when naked.