I decided to write my news comment on an article from the New York Times titled “In Angela Merkel, German Women Find Symbol, but Not Savior.” This article is about the female chancellor who has been reelected to serve Germany three times and is vying for a fourth term this week. Though Merkel has been chancellor of Germany for years, there is still a sexual prejudice throughout the country in working women. This is especially concentrated in women with families. Merkel has been avid about not using the word “feminist” and has been stagnant in paving the way for greater women’s rights.
This article relates to what we have been talking about as a class because it correlates with the idea of what people say or don’t say using the media having an effect on social behaviors. Because the chancellor herself is not pushing for greater women’s rights and there is no example for other women to follow, men and women are stuck in a perpetual track of sexual dominance led by men.
You may be right, Mari. But what I took from the story is that the US and Germany are similar in this regard. Even though women hold many positions of power in theis country, they are still something of an exception. They are not the rule. Feminism is still a “bad word,” so it’s not a huge surprise that women prefer not to be considered feminists.