Women against the odds

Arizona Daily Wildcat

But what most people tend to forget is that Adam's rib was taken from a place that would make him equal to Eve.

So why would we think this is a man's world? It is hard for me to understand when all my life I have seen women in control.

Mothers with no husbands raising children. Women starting their own businesses. Wives taking care of household finances.

Why not call this a woman's world?

My mother was a single parent. She raised my sister and I the best she could. She was at every game, she cooked every meal and was the breadwinner for our family.

Of course my sister and I missed that one special person we could call "Dad" but we had a mom and a dad in one. She was there to teach me how to cook, sew, drive and change the oil. She even taught me about relationships through trial and error.

Single mothers go through a lot. Most have hard times beginning new relationships. Reasons range from children's opinions of the person, no time to date, or simply guys not liking the idea that they have a ready-made family. As if women wish to be single mothers.

Of course there are some now who don't mind it. One of my close friends cannot imagine having a husband but she does want a child. She was one of the fortunate black children who had the "All American Family:" mom, dad, sister and brother. She is into the whole Spice Girl's "Girl Power" mindset and the radical thinking that it entails.

During the Civil Rights Movement, women began to let the world know how they wanted to be treated. Women wanted equality in all situations; equal pay, equal treatment, and equal opportunity. They no longer wanted to be the "Betty Crocker" homemaker. They knew the war was over and that the factory jobs were no longer available to them.

But they enjoyed life better when the men were away at war and they were given the opportunity to do more than shake their buns in the kitchen. They were tired of being pushed into the suburbs to be little housewives; they wanted more than daily chores.

Women slowly began to have careers, they no longer went to college just to find husbands and they were going to school to receive an education outside of the bachelor of arts in home economics.

The struggle for equality was not an easy one, and is still continuing today. Women are not getting fair chances at certain companies; even here in my dorm , people were leery of electing a female hall president.

One of the candidate's campaigns was waged to question a woman's ability to hold an office. "Do you really want a woman in office?" he scrawled on our message boards.

Are guys afraid of a woman's success? Do they feel that they are less of a man if a woman has accomplished something they couldn't?

Many have forgotten that a woman, their mothers, have accomplished something they will never be able to accomplish.

Men will never give birth to a bouncing baby. Many have forgotten that a woman carried them on their backs for nine long months.

Women are strong and can endure much, but many men believe we are extremely fragile and cannot handle anything of lasting significance. And for that reason they say we cannot handle a high position on an executive board.

The truth is women can handle anything they put their minds to and if they do not want to be bothered they won't.

A moment is waiting to happen, a woman running this country. When I was younger, whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to become I would always say, "I am going to become the first African American female president."

I haven't lost hope.

I began to write this to find some understanding within myself of why women are so beautiful.

Women are beautiful because of their strength; they are always willing to test the water to find the temperature.

I am not saying this because I myself am a woman but I am sure some males would agree. Women are jacks-of-all-trades and need to be treated a little more fairly.

This is no longer a man's world, not yet a woman's world, but it is definitely not just a man's.

Erica Breaux is a psychology freshman and can be reached via e-mail at Erica.Breaux@wildcat.arizona.edu.