RE: Article: 5 Reasons There Aren't More Women in Atheism
July 29, 2013 at 7:31 pm
(This post was last modified: July 29, 2013 at 7:32 pm by Slave.)
It could be. In fact it probably is a defining reason for at least some women with the potential to form careers out of popularizing atheism in the media. But I think this would be a fatal mistake to make given the age we live in now. Of course sexism is still rampant, from both sexes, and it is an unavoidable part of life. But to allow something so benign as your gender prevent you from pursuing whatever career you desire out of fear of judgement or dismissal by the opposite sex is just a shame. I am sure that Chrisopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris didn't care that they were males entering into their respective careers.
Perhaps it's time for women to just get on with it and stop using sexism, misogyny and patriarchy as an excuse to hide behind a veil of victimhood. Women are just as capable as men are in matters of intellectual pursuits. The only people holding them back are themselves. Having said this, I don't see why achieving the level of fame and recognition as that of the celebrities I mentioned above is important. Grassroots movements have countless unsung heroes that never achieve the limelight and they do more for their causes than a few figureheads can do. They all play a part, of course, but like a machine, no one part is more important than the other if they can't all work together towards the same goal.
I read a few interesting comments on various articles such as that in the OP and others I searched after reading it. There are many women in the comments sections speaking of their careers in atheism, and how they have been doing it for 10, 15, 20 years. They don't seem to complain about a lack of female atheist icons. Maybe because they're too busy working their butts off to notice.
Perhaps it's time for women to just get on with it and stop using sexism, misogyny and patriarchy as an excuse to hide behind a veil of victimhood. Women are just as capable as men are in matters of intellectual pursuits. The only people holding them back are themselves. Having said this, I don't see why achieving the level of fame and recognition as that of the celebrities I mentioned above is important. Grassroots movements have countless unsung heroes that never achieve the limelight and they do more for their causes than a few figureheads can do. They all play a part, of course, but like a machine, no one part is more important than the other if they can't all work together towards the same goal.
I read a few interesting comments on various articles such as that in the OP and others I searched after reading it. There are many women in the comments sections speaking of their careers in atheism, and how they have been doing it for 10, 15, 20 years. They don't seem to complain about a lack of female atheist icons. Maybe because they're too busy working their butts off to notice.
