How you know...

[SmileEachDay]

AIBU to ask you how you know you're a woman?

What are your life experiences that illustrate your woman-ness?

fairplayforwomen.com/i-knew-i-was-a-woman

Out

Biological facts, for sure. Is it more complex than that? What are the consequences of that biology?

There is debate, currently, about what woman means. But what I'm hearing here is that woman=biology...that this is an I controversial fact.

as an adult, the time I really feel it is when someone questions "Ms" whether in real life or online. Men never ever face a battle to declare, or not, their marital status.

It's a small but perfect illustration of a "woman's place", isn't it...

Two x chromosomes.

The end.

OP this is a great article but - sorry! - I'm wondering why you're asking the questions you're asking.

Thing is, imagine all the crap around Ms etc didn't exist.

I'd still be a woman because biology. That's all there is to it.

I know I am a woman because I was born female and am now an adult. I don't feel that I 'know I am a woman' any more at specific times, because I am one all the time. I am aware of and despair of the many inequalities that still exist, but that has nothing to do with me being aware that I am a woman, because that is simply a biological fact.

i'm 60 and my life experience as a woman has been due to my biology. menses, breasts, different physical strengths.
the decreased physical strength impacts my ability to live without fear of assault.
i'm as educated as most of the population as a whole, could easily have done the job I did as a male or female (nurse). pay scales are the same...for me it's all about the biology

Losing a promotion when I told my employer I was pregnant. Whereas my DH got a pat on the back and flexitime.

Man, I feel like a woman

Is this a trick question?

I have a vagina

Oh and I get paid less than the men I work with.

I'd never connect anything baby linked to this because the TRAs will decide that childfree and childless women are not women next!!!

I'm wondering why you're asking the questions you're asking.

Because we live in a world where biology is NOT accepted at fact. Where there is question over the definition of woman - where there is pressure for it to include men.

I want to know what women think. Whether there are still women who know it's as straightforward as biology + the consequences of biology.

Great article. Sadly I'm too scared of backlash to post it on fb.

Very good article.

I have said many times that I support trans people. But stop saying you are the sex you have transitioned to. You are not. You have a fight to fight but it's not the same as mine so stop saying mine doesn't count.

Ah go on B - it's not that controversial

I know I'm a woman because I was born with a vagina and breasts.

OP, there's many of us on the Feminism Chat board if you ever want to chat/rant.

Oh, I know Slim, thank you

That's preaching to the converted. I want people who haven't thought about it to know that this is happening. That actually, we can't take "woman means this" for granted.

Given a name at birth that is exclusively feminine

Being dressed in a feminine way all through childhood

Not being allowed to play football with the boys at school because I was a girl

PE changing rooms and showers where no boys were allowed and only female teachers to supervise

Comparing genatalia in the school yard

Girl gangs/girl fights

Gropes/ wolf whistles/ fingering

Excercising and detoxing to get rid of cellulite

Getting paid a salary half that of my male counterparts

Physically and emotionally harrassed in a male dominated work environment

Pregnancy/ birth/ breastfeeding/ SAHM/ WOHM/ WAHM / school runs/ hospital runs/ parent teacher assoc/ parents evenings- all whilst OH climbs the corporate ladder because he earns the most

Still being paid half of what my male counterparts do because I'm a woman.

I mean the list is endless

Dunno. I just am. I've never had to realise it. I was a girl. Now I'm a woman. I don't know when the transition happened.

I've not borne or fed children from my body. So that's not my definition.

I just am. I'd not be able to explain why I am

Being brought up female is the start, overprotected and taught to be lady like in my case but this is not the definitive part. That is when puberty hits and you become, assuming normal development, a bleeder, breeder and feeder as it was put above. This is not all women can do of course and some women do not do all of those things but it is exclusive to the female of the species in humans. That is what makes me know I am a woman and has impacted on every area of my life.

Woman. I'm certain of it because I can't stand up to piss

I guess we know we are women because of our biology.

But we are never allowed to forget what that means because of our socialisation.

@SmileEachDay -sexual abuse at the hands of more than one man, sexual harassment, sex discrimination in the work place - and overcoming it all, earning less for the same work etc etc. Plus experiencing the day to day biological crap that we take as part of the territory that men don't have to put up with or isn't an 'issue' for men😁 periods, sore boobs, ageing, pregnancy. That is how I earned my womanhood and I'm proud to be a woman.

Flump - abuse/discrimination because of your biology.

Biology making life tough in a way men cannot understand.

I really like the article and tbh it's an interesting question smile

I'm trying to think about this from two perspectives; my own and that of 5 year old DSD. She knows she's a girl but I'm not really sure when that awareness came about. She typically (although not always) wears a lot of pink and clothes from the "girls" section. She knows what body parts she has and how they are girl parts. She mostly has girl friends and is aware which are boys and which are girls.

Being a woman has had a negative impact on me:

my "friend" only took it upon himself to sexually assault me after demanding sex for letting me stay over his because I was a girl and also because I was weaker than him
my ex raped me because he was stronger than me and thought it was his God given right to have piv sex with a woman
as a teenager being crucified for sleeping with a guy I worked with after a works party but the guy got a "go you, you're awesome" type response
I am constantly surrounded by men in my job and there's a clear distinction between the women and men; of the roughly 10 senior managers, only 2 are female, of the roughly 5 senior chemists only 1 is female
during my A Levels I was the only female in my physics class
during my masters I was one of two females in my research group with over 10 people in it
when I was involved in church I was constantly huaranged to work with the children and Sunday school yet my boyfriend wasn't asked once (because of course being female automatically makes you enjoy and want to be around other peoples kids but being a man you wouldn't - I of course was in the eww kids phase at the time)
as a woman I have put my body through hell and back trying to prevent pregnancy in a way no man ever has to
on the pregnancy note; automatically having it assumed in job interviews I would be having DC soon and would be needing to go off on maternity for long periods of time
as a female teenager I had to put up with men wolf whistling at me, grabbing my bum in clubs and acting like it was nothing, asking me for sex in clubs

Sorry but these are just things that non woman don't (typically) have to put up with