You think feminism made US women happy? Data says just opposite

From a working paper published under aegis of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the happiness level of US women has been declining since 1970 to this date.  The abstract of the article is given below:

Abstract

By many objective measures the lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women’s happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men.  The paradox of women’s declining relative well- being is found across various datasets, measures of subjective well-being, and is pervasive across demographic groups and industrialized countries.  Relative declines in female happiness have eroded a gender gap in happiness in which women in the 1970s typically reported higher subjective well-being than did men.  These declines have continued and a new gender gap is emerging—one with higher subjective well-being for men.  

This draft: May 12, 2009   

See graphic from page 35 of paper below:

 

 

Overall women do not seem to be doing worse than men, however the positive gap they had in happiness over men in 1970s has been closed in subsequent years.

Another poll graphic on page 36 paints a similar picture:

 

According to above life satisfaction survey, women were more satisfied than men before 1990 and less so after 1990.

Most convincing is results for US 12th graders as given in graphic on page 37 of paper:

It clearly says that among US 12th graders, men overtook women in happiness/ well-being index around 1985 and have been happier ever since. 

So will the feminists speak up what exactly they have been doing for women’s happiness during last 30-40 years?

70% of all BJP MPs are opposed to Women Reservation Bill

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/BJP-chief-whip-spills-it-out--70--of-MPs-oppose-Women-s-Bill/589444 

“At least seventy per cent of MPs are protesting against the women’s reservation Bill and the way the party supported the Bill despite marshals being used in Rajya Sabha. Top leaders of the party have assured that grievances of the MPs will be taken into account,” Bais told The Indian Express, adding that Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha had already held the first round of discussions.

I would not be too surprised at such a statistic.  After all, the resentment against 33% women’s reservation has been suppressed only because of overall media championing and political-correctness of the ‘cause’ of women empowerment.  No body of any importance wants to be seen voicing opinion against women reservation in parliament, because they will be labelled as Neanderthals, or male chauvinist pig, or something like that.

Countries like Germany have women reservation in parliament but it is not by proposed lottery system of making a constituency reserved.  The political parties there have to make sure 30% or so of women candidates are selected by them to represent people.

Evidently, the masters of our fate have decided that giving responsibility of ensuring women’s representation to political parties will not work!  It is a strange argument where the politicians attempt to ignore a much better legislation on the ground that they are incompetent to practise the much better law.

God save Indian women -- NCW says no swayamvar for them

After Rakhi Sawant’s swayamvar reality show where she chose her husband (or so we thought), a new show has started where Rahul Mahajan will be choosing a wife for himself. Nothing gets Indians so excited than prospect of seeing a marriage party! However NCW does not seem to be too happy about people making their own choices in marriage.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NCW-trains-guns-on-Rahul-Mahajan-reality-show-/articleshow/5524923.cms

NEW DELHI: National Commission for Women has written to I&B ministry asking it to ensure prevention of indecent portrayal of women in a forthcoming reality show on a bride hunt for Rahul Mahajan.

"I have seen the advertisement only. However, we have written to the ministry asking it to ensure that there is no indecent portrayal of women in that reality show," Girija Vyas, NCW chairperson, said.

She said the show — `Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega Swayamvar Season 2' — is yet to be telecast and the letter was written before that because NCW wanted to ensure that there was no inappropriate depiction of women in the show. Vyas also took exception to the use of `swayamvar' in its title, saying it suggested commodification of women.

"Swayamvar is a word which denotes commodification of women. Why should men or women be portrayed as objects," she asked.

It is common knowledge in India that swayamvar was historically a well-accepted and respectable form of marriage for women and especially mentioned in many Hindu epics including Mahabharata. It is astonishing to see how NCW chairperson has decided that it means commodification of women? NCW did not object to Rakhi Sawant’s swayamvar show so evidently the only reasoning seems to be that NCW is unhappy that a man is being given the same choice of choosing a life partner that was given to a woman in earlier reality show.

Let’s read some basic definition of swayamvara below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swayamvara

The literal meaning of swayamvara is given below based on Sanskrit words used:

Swayamvara (Sanskrit: स्‍वयं‍वर), in ancient India, was a practice of choosing a life partner, from among a list of suitors, by a girl of marriageable age. Swayam in Sanskrit means Self and Vara means choosing or wanting.

So according to NCW chairperson, if a woman chooses her husband by her own will somehow it results in commodification of women. God save Indian women from NCW!