Is asking for special treatment really the new feminism?

I don't usually get this political, but I am a bit protective of the feminist movement, and when I see it being threatened, I get a little angry. Today the topic is paid menstrual leave. Seriously. The world of work may be the high school lunch room, but that doesn't mean it should also be gym class.


How is this threatening to feminism, you may ask....

You want pay equity? Stop being so expensive to hire! Competitive pay comes from being competitive in the workforce. Government can't force that on business (see the American Disabilities Act of 1990 that actually increased unemployment among the disabled).

And before you try to make the argument that women will be more productive overall with menstrual leave, let me tell you that no one can make up for three days of missed work by simply being happier with their job.  

This is infuriating. I have insane cramps and hot flashes. I know what this feels like. But I dealt with it, because my strength doesn't come from being treated differently. I hope no one ever makes an exception for me because I am a women. This just opens up feminism up for reactionary sexism.

I think the fourth wave of feminism should be characterized by the fight for equality among the sexes with a healthy appreciation of the differences between women and men. When we try to ignore our differences (e.g. how carrying children and motherhood is part of the female experience that cannot be duplicated for men), our arguments fall apart. However, when we try to use these differences to ask for special privileges, we ask for society to care for us.

The fight for economic equality is fought in the workforce, when we ask for privileges like paid menstrual leave, we step off the field, even if it's for a couple of days a week. Women become less competitive and more expensive to employers. 

During the fight for suffrage, it took fifty years to convince society that women should be equal to men in the public sphere, let's not set back that argument by proving them wrong.