Why a lot of women don't come on the feminism threads...

[Scarletohello]

So I posted this question earlier, why don't more women come on these threads ( considering how many women are on MN)

The replies saddened me. Are we doing something wrong? I remember a thread some time ago asking how many women lurk on the feminism threads but never post. I was shocked by how many women read these threads but didn't feel able to join in. I don't think feminism has to be particularly intellectual and I would like to be able to educate more women about feminism, how it affects women in many different areas of their lives, offer support and talk about what we as women can do about it.

Please have a read of this thread and tell me what your thoughts are. I want us to be as inclusive as possible as it affects us all...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2222959-To-be-a-bit-dismayed-if-4-million-women-visit-this-site-why-are-there-so-few-posts-on-the-feminism-threads

THAT IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION

Seriously Urbandaddy, (assuming you are in no way linked to the blogger using MN to get hits) why are you here? I don't hang out in the Dailymail comment section because I don't feel it is representative of all social layers of person. So why are you sticking around here? Especially if you see it a forum for women?

To me Mumsnet forum does not represent evenly all social layers of women.

Does it have to? Would you tell a group of men that their opinion meant little because they didn't "represent evenly all social layers of men"?

ps. Am I doing discussion right according to you?

I wonder how it work anyway, getting people form all "social layers". Does MN have a klaxon that goes off when "quinoa" get mentioned too many times and they shut off the Sign Up page until someone says "fish finger" an equal amount of times? Be a fucking nightmare for tech

"Frau Helga you are unable to post on that thread as we have reached our maximum number of women from your social layer. Please try again later"

Frau

Brilliant Frau!

I think my social layer is the cream cheese frosting layer..

frau

what if the women from my social layer who fill up the allotted space don't adequately represent our collective borglike view in my opinion?

Damn I should've said quota.

That thread has exceeded the maximum quota from the social layer of opinionated women who don't give a fuck. Please try again later.

Thank you for your kind words Sabrinnnnnnnnnnnna (may not have counted 'n's accurately).

Sadly, the horrors of searching for the Ultimate Work of Feminist Fiction has sent me screaming back to the comfort of a flowery apron, some baking and removal of my frontal lobe.

ha! ha! only joking! See on you the next thread...

haha spero

i'll send you a "this is what a feminist cooks like" apron in the post

upthechimney

I have a problem when feminist ideas/practice and the teachings of the Bible clash or are in direct opposition.
I'm a Christian so I believe in God and happy to accept his wisdom that for example put the man as the head of the household, but of course as a woman (and a rebellious daughter of an ateist and aggressive father) I will fight my corner and will not accept to be "ruled" by a man. which makes me feel good and bad simultaneously.

it's very tricky. I feel I can't be both a a Christian and a feminist in many situations. I wonder if it's even possible to be both. but that's another thread - sorry for derailing..

as you were

Thanks Petula.

No one else has said anything about that. No one who was outraged at "that is not a feminist choice." Are you all still outraged at me applying similar reasoning to myself, or does my example change anything?

I am going to drop this now and stop Paxmanning, but dammit I just know that "that is not a feminist choice" is going to enter the folk memory of How FWR Posters Are Mean And Critical and I really want someone to say "actually yep in the light of your argument and example I still think that" OR "ok I get how it is meant now and it seems milder and fairer"

Zing, I think there's been some good discussions about Christianity and feminism in the past on here, I'm not a Christian so tend to not post on them.

zing, that topic is honestly worth a thread in its own right. i have quite a lot cognitive dissonance in this area myself

(apologies if this is patronising, but in the interests of explaining jargon as discussed on this thread: "In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time" from wikipedia)

put very simply and quickly, my feelings are that the bible, like many other (but not all of course) religious texts, was written and interpreted and translated by men, and not only reflects a different time in history in terms of how people lived their lives but also all the misogynist structures and assumptions that are embedded in our and many other societies. you may not feel though that this adequately addresses your concerns and it may also directly contradict your beliefs, but i hope you don't find this an offensive thing to suggest

it's also worth remembering that being an atheist doesn't automatically mean you are a feminist either (see richard dawkins)

sorry rosdearg i realised i probably wasn't who you wanted to hear from

zing there are probably loads of things in the bible that you don't actually follow despite being a Christian?

zing I agree it would be an interesting thread to start

Personally I think that being a devout or fundamentalist Christian is incompatible with feminism, in that you are adhering as closely as possible to a text written 2000+ years ago that is rather patriarchal.

I myself am a sort of airy-fairy Catholic, I was brought up in a very liberal order that was very feminist, which was possible because they interpreted the Bible more loosely and focused on the NT. So there's less of a problem there.

I think it's interesting that some of the more ridiculous parts of the Bible stoning people, having slaves are glossed over today even by devout Christians, but the whole man dominating woman thing is still seen as important.

A thread from a year or so ago:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/1813798-Is-it-possible-to-be-a-good-Christian-at-the-same-time-as-being-a-feminist

oooo, here is an idea.

What has bothered me for a while is the rampant misogyny in the atheist community - yes Richard Dawkins, I am looking at you - which has been catalogued and commented upon by the likes of Rebecca Watson.

That is especially interesting to me because presumably the misognynistic atheists can't/don't base their dismissal on women because the Bible tells them so; it must come from another place.

I also sense parallels with some of the undercurrents on this thread; that one person's 'robust argument' is another's abusive monstering. Or at least that is how some atheist men seem to explain themselves: can't you take a joke/can't you debate properly without getting all feminist and upset.

Would anyone be interested in that as a topic too?

definitely interesting spero. my suspicion is that the dawkins worshippers probably like a bit of dodgy evolutionary psychology to justify their misogyny, but i would be very interested in hearing from people who have actually looked at what they are saying

YY spero

fuckoffgerbil

hundreds of things I don't follow, of course and for various reasons.
mainly because I am most decidedly not holier than Thou
it would be impossible to follow everything and I don't think we are required to.

One of the ways I see the Bible is that it's like a manual for how to live a life that is centered around love. God's love towards us, our love towards Him and each other.
It's full of warnings and good advice.
Trying to live by the teachings of the Bible therefore is very important to me.
I fail miserable every single day, but that's fine. I'm not supposed to be perfect.