The Mismeasure of Woman

A.) The article talked about how women's progression in the work field is starting to slow. It placed part of the blame for this on 9/11, and part on women's attitudes. The author stressed that women should be confident and not feel that they always have to play the part of 'a good girl'. The main point was that women in the work field should not be happy with simply better jobs and higher pay - they should demand respect along with those advances.

B.) The content of this article applies to journalism by encouraging women to raise the bar in the work field - we shouldn't be afraid to compete with men; instead, we should have confidence that we CAN compete . . . and win. The article applies to our class tremendously - as journalism students, we need to realize that the real world is different from our safe and cozy classroom. In any profession we choose to go into, it's important for us to be prepared to face discrimination and disrespect, to be strong enough to not let it faze us, and to know how to respond to it. Personally, I don't think this article really applied to me. From my standpoint, it seemed like the author was almost complaining that women as a whole had not made the progress she would have liked to see, and I don't think this kind of progress is something that can be measured. While it's true that women still face discrimination simply based on gender, it doesn't faze me in the least. I know who I am and what I deserve, and I won't settle for anything less - even if it means I'm out of a job.

C.) I think it's interesting that the author chose to talk about the competition between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I have to wonder what the results of the primary say about society today - in history, white women were seen as superior to black men. The African American race has certainly come a long way since then . . . but really, how far have women come if we are still not seen as competent enough to be President?
I also wonder why the author chose to take such a sarcastic tone to begin her article with - she lists off some of the major achievements women have made in past years, and then seems to completely dismiss them with her disdain.