A Woman's Worth

Now a days, in this all consuming commercialized race to accumulate possessions, I ask myself, in today's social environment, what is a woman's worth? 

I had an interesting professor in one of my paralegal classes at Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus.  His name was Mr. Blum, an older gentleman, a former judge, old school for sure.  He posed a question to the class and the question was "Are women really better off financially today than they were in past centuries?"  He based his assumption in that in the past men were responsible for the financial well being of the females in their life.  And with that mentality, that women did not need to worry about finances because the men in their lives, their father, husband, brother, uncle; some male benevolent entity would make sure they were taken care of. Which at the time, I now admit,  I didn't give myself the time to really analyze.  I immediately took an adversary stance, the feminist in me challenged him right away and I made it very clear to him that his view was not only outdated but offensive to women at the very least.   My reaction brought about a sullen mood to that day's class participation and no more was discussed on the subject. 

But that question has stood with me, even now, 15 years later.

It was not the question per se that was offensive, but his ideology that women should still be subjugated to the whims of a patriarchal system.   How dare he suggest that men know what is best for women, in any aspect of her life?  That reduces more than half of the human population to the status of nothing more than children, who need to be monitored and looked after.   At least, here, in our country, great strides have been made to make women equal in every way, from the Suffrage and Civil Rights Movements, to Roe vs Wade.  But yes, ladies and gentlemen, there are people out there that believe that a woman's place is still in the kitchen and/or barefoot and pregnant.  I am proud that I put a stop to his nonsense before it had a chance to poison the minds of the young people that were in attendance that day.   Women have worked too hard to earn the respect we now enjoy, we have come too far from being nothing but baby factories, chattel and disposable income.

The professor's question is still out there, I am certain, perhaps Mr. Blum is still trying to infuse his opinion on another classroom full of impressionable students, perhaps it's still resonating in someone's memory, as it is in mine; yet it's a question that every woman needs to answer for herself "What is my value?"  "My presence and efforts are appreciated by whom?" More important than the question itself is realizing that every woman has the right and obligation to work towards and establish her own worth; apart from anyone else.