5 things feminism has done for me

Being a sad and lonely entity in the blogosphere, I have tagged myself (sniff, sniff) with the "What Feminism Has Done For Me" meme.

For those not in the know, this is in response to the Conservative government's significant cut of $5 million from the Status of Women Canada's (SWC) budget, saying the government will no longer fund women's groups that do lobbying, advocacy, or general research. The government also removed the word 'equality' from SWC's mandate.

So here we go!

1.) Feminism has allowed me to meet, learn from, and occasionally create lifetime friendships with some of the most inspiring and fascinating people. Such platonic relations with women would not have been possible, had I been required to retire to the parlour, and the women to the kitchen. Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May is a recent addition to my list of captivating individuals.

2.) Feminism has (quite rightly) afforded women the same respect as men. While some of the more contemptible Members of Parliament continue to use terms such as "slut" and "dog" to refer to their equal peers, the vast majority of the population quite rigtly abhor such inexcusable behaviour. And this is thanks to feminism.

3.) Feminism has created a stronger and more diverse economy. If the regressive right love gross domestic product (GDP) so much, just what would happen to Canada's figure if every woman was back in the kitchen?

4.) Feminism has given women the vote, and included them in the overall political process. Where would the British economy be today without Margaret Thatcher? I'm no Tory, and I disagree with how far she went, but someone needed to stand up to such ridiculous notions as zero unemployment. And it took a woman to successfully implement arguably the largest socio-economic change in the UK's contemporary history. Her male successor was a mere shadow of the Iron Lady, and was quickly defeated by what became the Labour government under Tony Blair.

5.) Best of all, feminism has given women the right to education, and choice and independence of career path. If I end up retiring early and devoting of all my time to Green issues, it will more than likely be due to the wage of my better half, rather than my own meagre pittance!

Bonus - 6.) Feminism has resulted in some of the best dang comedians in the world being women, such as Jo Brand, Mary Walsh and Miranda Hart.

Tag - you're it!

Politique Vert - Not a man! Phew!

Green Librarian - The Rex Murphy of the Green Blogosphere

Chris Tindal - Quirky thoughts from a former Green candidate

The Sudden Sage - GPO's Toronto Rep, Mark Francis

Jim Harris - New GPC leader Elizabeth May is a busy woman of late, and David Chernushenko doesn't have a blog. So why not invite former GPC leader Jim Harris?

(Ooooh, just noticed all five of my "taggees" are from Toronto! Not good, not good...)