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sheshe2

(83,736 posts)
Sun Mar 10, 2013, 07:56 PM Mar 2013

The Vagina Tax

http://angryblackladychronicles.com/2013/03/08/the-vagina-tax/#more-83077

Payday is rolling around. I’m going to look at my paycheck, and review the state and federal withholdings. I’ll grunt at my FICA and insurance costs. I won’t actually see a tax for having a vagina, but it will be there. I feel quite certain my employer practices fair pay, but in way too many cases women are not paid the same as male coworkers for doing the same job. For owning the same responsibilities. For living up to the same expectations.

I suppose some may look at this as a penis bonus instead of a vagina tax. Tomato, tomahto. Today is International Women’s Day, but before we go global I want to take a look at the United States. Women make seventy-seven cents on the man’s dollar. Not necessarily job for job, but this shows that while the glass ceiling may have cracked it is still firmly in place. Women’s rights are in the hands of politicians and courts, which is ridiculous in itself. Men don’t have to worry about sudden legislature telling them how they can treat their bodies if they were victims of a crime. Men don’t have to fear that they will have to pay more for certain medicines because a church down the road doesn’t approve. If a man is mugged, he isn’t judged for wearing a bright red shirt that clearly attracted the criminal.

If most men woke up in our world, they would take one look around and jump out a goddamn window.

The truly mind-boggling thing is that women aren’t a minority. We are the majority, by a few million. Yet we are consistently throughout history treated as inferior, weaker and less intelligent. Despite centuries of evidence to the contrary, the stereotype persists. Modern women rose to the challenge and proved their ability over and over without realizing it isn’t a matter of proof, it’s a matter of perspective. We can run faster, jump higher and work harder and if we’re really good little girls we might get a chance to break even. Until the parameters change, we can’t win.

Remember when I said I was going to get to the global perspective? Here it is: compared to the rest of the world, we have it relatively good here.

Happy International Women’s Day. Maybe by the next one there will be better things to report.

29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The Vagina Tax (Original Post) sheshe2 Mar 2013 OP
I'm liking this angry black lady more and more! babylonsister Mar 2013 #1
ABL is right sheshe2 Mar 2013 #6
The numbers are dismal. Warpy Mar 2013 #2
Or at least a Republican. talkingmime Mar 2013 #3
Now this is a chilling stat! sheshe2 Mar 2013 #7
"the truly mind-boggling thing is that women aren't a minority" ismnotwasm Mar 2013 #4
America has never had a female president Skittles Mar 2013 #9
2016, Skittles, 2016. cliffordu Mar 2013 #15
!!!! sheshe2 Mar 2013 #19
And the UK elected Margaret Thatcher to power in 1979. Nye Bevan Mar 2013 #27
Half. AlbertCat Mar 2013 #10
Well women are raised in the patriarchy too... redqueen Mar 2013 #18
Christianity, one of the great tools of the patriarchy. CrispyQ Mar 2013 #22
I wish she hadn't called it a tax. surrealAmerican Mar 2013 #5
"I suppose some may look at this as a penis bonus instead of a vagina tax. " bettyellen Mar 2013 #8
only discovered her a short time ago, but rapidly becoming a favourite, like margaret and helen. niyad Mar 2013 #11
niyad, sheshe2 Mar 2013 #12
I would consider giving up 23% of my income for 5 extra years of life expectancy (nt) Nye Bevan Mar 2013 #13
five more years with much less money, eh? niyad Mar 2013 #17
The fact that men work the equivalent of 2 more days each month than women is part of the reason. lumberjack_jeff Mar 2013 #20
Well I would *definitely* consider giving up 23% of my income Nye Bevan Mar 2013 #21
Thanks to both of you for the usual whataboutery. redqueen Mar 2013 #23
The tricky part is where to sign up for the extra five years of life (nt) Nye Bevan Mar 2013 #24
I did exactly that. lumberjack_jeff Mar 2013 #25
Me too. Nye Bevan Mar 2013 #26
Some men are so insecure they've made it there Cha Mar 2013 #14
ABL makes excellent points. Kath1 Mar 2013 #16
K & R & Share! dogknob Mar 2013 #28
i keep looking for my chick discount in stores. pansypoo53219 Mar 2013 #29

sheshe2

(83,736 posts)
6. ABL is right
Sun Mar 10, 2013, 08:49 PM
Mar 2013
If most men woke up in our world, they would take one look around and jump out a goddamn window.


This just proves that we are made of stronger stuff, babylonsister! Men would take a swan dive if they were treated as we are. We however stand up and fight!

Warpy

(111,243 posts)
2. The numbers are dismal.
Sun Mar 10, 2013, 08:11 PM
Mar 2013

Women do two thirds of the world's work and are paid ten percent of the world's wages.

That is the vagina tax.

Any woman who isn't angry about this is asleep or crazy.

http://www.womankind.org.uk/about/why-women/statistics/

sheshe2

(83,736 posts)
7. Now this is a chilling stat!
Sun Mar 10, 2013, 08:55 PM
Mar 2013
Violence causes more death and disability worldwide amongst women aged 15-44 than war, cancer, malaria and traffic accidents (World Bank Study World Development Report: Investing in Health, New York, Oxford University Press, 1993.)

From your link.

Thanks for that link, Warpy!

redqueen

(115,103 posts)
18. Well women are raised in the patriarchy too...
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 10:11 AM
Mar 2013

and are conditioned to think of themselves and other women as less than.

There's a reason the patriarchy is so successful at persisting despite decades of education.

CrispyQ

(36,457 posts)
22. Christianity, one of the great tools of the patriarchy.
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:40 AM
Mar 2013

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

In Sunday school we were taught that God is neither male or female. During Confirmation, (I was about 12 or 13), I asked our pastor, "If God has no gender, then why do we refer to God as father & son? Why not parent & child? Why isn't there a special pronoun for God, instead of using he/him? Why is there no woman in the trinity?" The class laughed, even the girls, although not as heartily. The boys could hardly stop laughing as the pastor answered that "there are lots of women in the stories of the Bible." It was the second time a pastor side stepped my serious question & it was when I first started to question it all.

I wonder if any of the other kids ever gave it a second thought?

on edit: I single out Christianity, because it was what I was raised with.

surrealAmerican

(11,360 posts)
5. I wish she hadn't called it a tax.
Sun Mar 10, 2013, 08:48 PM
Mar 2013

Taxes are how we pay for common expenses; they are not a punishment. The word she was looking for was "fine".

 

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)
20. The fact that men work the equivalent of 2 more days each month than women is part of the reason.
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:05 AM
Mar 2013

... Reasons for both the phenomena in your post. Most of the 23% is attributable to this alone.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t04.htm

On average, men work 8 hours per day, Women work 7.2.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
21. Well I would *definitely* consider giving up 23% of my income
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:12 AM
Mar 2013

in exchange for working an hour less per day *and* having 5 extra years of life expectancy.

redqueen

(115,103 posts)
23. Thanks to both of you for the usual whataboutery.
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:49 AM
Mar 2013

You do know you are fully capable of getting a lower paying job with fewer hours, right?

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
26. Me too.
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 01:02 PM
Mar 2013

Nobody ever lay on their deathbed wishing that they had more money and had spent less time with their family and friends.

Cha

(297,137 posts)
14. Some men are so insecure they've made it there
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 02:53 AM
Mar 2013

mission to keep women down, from attaining their greatest potential.

As evidenced incredibly so by today's draconian gop..with the help of hapless women like michelle bachmann.

Thank Goodness for the Obama Admin where we've passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2013. That's a Start.

thanks she for ABL's International Women's Day commentary.

Kath1

(4,309 posts)
16. ABL makes excellent points.
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 08:15 AM
Mar 2013

I think the re-election of Obama is a very positive step toward equality, as evidenced by the passing of the Violence Against Women Act. Still, sadly, we have a long way to go.

dogknob

(2,431 posts)
28. K & R & Share!
Mon Mar 11, 2013, 01:15 PM
Mar 2013

Totally solid OP! I gotta chuckle at some of the comments, though. A left-leaning website with posts talking up Margaret Thatcher!

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