I saw this question on reddit and it got me to thinking. First of all, it doesn’t harm their interests at all. You may see it as such, but they firmly believe they are doing what is best for themselves and other women. Mostly because yes, they do believe in sexism. Religion is a part of it but at it’s core, they embrace sexism, the patriarchy, all of that, because they believe men are incapable of change.
They also understand, in a way that liberal women do not, that change for women in America will not, does not happen without action and change from men. So in a way, some of the advances women have won has made our lives much harder, because the corollary change has not happened with men. For example, women have the right to work, Yay! BUT that means if an employed woman wants a marriage and kids, she’s pretty much going to be working TWO JOBS. Two full-time jobs. Even without the kids, even childless women do most of the housework in a heterosexual marriage. Unless a woman has money enough to hire another woman to help her with the domestic stuff, or female family members willing to help, or a unicorn/bigfoot husband (don’t laugh, there have been sightings) who actually does his fair share with the housework and kids, her lot in life will be working two jobs if she chooses to marry a man. Even just to live with one. And especially if she has kids.
The cultural shift in this regard hasn’t happened with men, because there is no way to legislate it. Unlike allowing women to work, how do you legally enforce men doing their fair share of the housework and childcare, to begin with, and WHO is going to do it? Not men, of course they don’t want the double workload of women. They don’t want half the workload of women. And women, we can’t even get these American men to give us full bodily autonomy yet, nor full constitutional protection yet. They wouldn’t even begin to let us legislate this. Unless there is significant social and cultural traction on this so that men themselves make it a standard for themselves, this will not change.
Conservative women know this so feel they are helping women in this regard. I believe they really want women to have easier, less stressful lives in some ways. Do I agree with them in entirety? No, but they make some valid points. I simply refuse to believe sexism is an innate part of the male psyche and/or of male biology. I believe men can and will change, and we can live in harmony with them. And equality, even in intimate relationships, even in, no especially in the home. Conservative women have thrown in the towel because they feel that ‘this’ (what we currently have in America) is the best we can ever expect of men. They believe men are simply incapable of wanting better, doing better, being better. Their opinion of men and their capabilities is very, very low.
