Female Supremacy Articles - Page 13
Condoleezza Rice's Commanding Clothes
By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 25, 2005
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield on Wednesday dressed all in black. She was wearing a black skirt that hit just above the knee, and it was topped with a black coat that fell to mid-calf. The coat, with its seven gold buttons running down the front and its band collar, called to mind a Marine's dress uniform or the "save humanity" ensemble worn by Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix."
As Rice walked out to greet the troops, the coat blew open in a rather swashbuckling way to reveal the top of a pair of knee-high boots. The boots had a high, slender heel that is not particularly practical. But it is a popular silhouette because it tends to elongate and flatter the leg. In short, the boots are sexy.
Rice boldly eschewed the typical fare chosen by powerful American women on the world stage. She was not wearing a bland suit with a loose-fitting skirt and short boxy jacket with a pair of sensible pumps. She did not cloak her power in photogenic hues, a feminine brooch and a non-threatening aesthetic. Rice looked as though she was prepared to talk tough, knock heads and do a freeze-frame "Matrix" jump kick if necessary. Who wouldn't give her ensemble a double take -- all the while hoping not to rub her the wrong way?
Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power -- such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal. When looking at the image of Rice in Wiesbaden, the mind searches for ways to put it all into context. It turns to fiction, to caricature. To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix! It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual.
Rice challenges expectations and assumptions. There is undeniable authority in her long black jacket with its severe details and menacing silhouette. The darkness lends an air of mystery and foreboding. Black is the color of intellectualism, of abstinence, of penitence. If there is any symbolism to be gleaned from Rice's stark garments, it is that she is tough and focused enough for whatever task is at hand.
Countless essays and books have been written about the erotic nature of high heels. There is no need to reiterate in detail the reasons why so many women swear by uncomfortable three-inch heels and why so many men are happy that they do. Heels change the way a woman walks, forcing her hips to sway. They alter her posture in myriad enticing ways, all of which are politically incorrect to discuss.
But the sexual frisson in Rice's look also comes from the tension of a woman dressed in vaguely masculine attire -- that is, the long, military-inspired jacket. When the designer Yves Saint Laurent first encouraged women to wear trousers more than 30 years ago, his reasons were not simply because pants are comfortable or practical. He knew that the sight of a woman draped in the accouterments of a man is sexually provocative. A woman was embracing something forbidden.
Rice's appearance at Wiesbaden -- a military base with all of its attendant images of machismo, strength and power -- was striking because she walked out draped in a banner of authority, power and toughness. She was not hiding behind matronliness, androgyny or the stereotype of the steel magnolia. Rice brought her full self to the world stage -- and that included her sexuality. It was not overt or inappropriate. If it was distracting, it is only because it is so rare.
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Wash. State's Women in Charge Politically
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 25, 2005
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- In Washington politics, women rule. Never before has a state had a woman in the governor's mansion and both U.S. Senate seats. Also, all of the state Senate's leadership positions are held by women.
This is a state where female politicians' voices are clearly heard.
``The barriers and the hang-ups just aren't there,'' said state Sen. Margarita Prentice, a Seattle Democrat and the Senate's new budget chairwoman. In Washington politics, ``we've always said that the edge is for the woman.''
And the numbers have backed that up for more than a decade. Beginning in 1993, the state had the highest percentage of women legislators in the country, though after the November elections their share dropped from 40 percent to 33.3 percent.
Maryland has become the new leader, followed by Delaware, and Washington fell into a third-place tie with Arizona, Nevada and Vermont, according to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
But even while losing numbers, women in the Evergreen State increased their power in the state Senate, holding all five leadership positions, including that of majority leader. And Democrat Christine Gregoire was elected governor after three counts in an excruciatingly close contest that is still being fought in the courts.
For now, Gregoire joins Democratic U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell as the highest-profile politicians in the state, something Walsh calls a ``landmark moment.''
``Little girls can look in the newspaper and see a picture of what the governor looks like, what a United States senator looks like,'' Walsh said. ``It looks like them.''
Washington women charged onto the scene in 1992, joining other women nationally in what came to be called the ``Year of the Woman'' -- when the number of women in Congress jumped from 28 to 42. Murray was elected, Gregoire became the state's first female attorney general, and Republican Jennifer Dunn went to Congress.
``Washingtonians dislike the classical, old-style, heavily partisan'' leadership style, said state Senate Minority Leader Bill Finkbeiner, a Republican. ``In the early '90s, women began to be seen as an alternative to that.''
Walsh said the populist culture in the state has created a political system that ``lets all people in.''
State Sen. Lisa Brown, who became Senate majority leader this year, said she thinks the frontier past of the state plays a part in the can-do mentality of women here.
``Women were pretty used to doing whatever they had to do. ... They hunted, they fished, they got involved,'' Brown said. ``I think it was a natural outgrowth to run for office.''
Gregoire, who last week delivered the Democrats' response to President Bush's first weekly address since he was inaugurated, said that during her run for attorney general, she encountered the attitude on the campaign trial that ``that's a man's job.''
``The question always to me was: Can you be tough enough to be attorney general?'' she said.
But in her run for governor last year, Gregoire said, no one ever questioned whether she could do the job because she was a woman.
``In 2004 there was not a uniqueness,'' she said. ``In terms of going out on the campaign trail, gender wasn't an issue.''
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WRESTLING: Mat respect
Hutchison is turning heads by beating the boys
By ERIC SMITH
Anchorage Daily News
Published: January 20th, 2005
Hutchison, a freshman at Skyview, is the only ranked female wrestler in Alaska. She is currently fourth at 103 pounds, though she was third as recently as last week.
She is ranked because she routinely dispels the notion that girls can't compete with boys.
And she does this by routinely beating many of them. At last weekend's Glenn Vandergaw Classic at Dimond, Hutchison lost only once, a heartbreaking overtime decision in the semifinals, and took third at the tournament.
Because of her prowess against boys or girls, Hutchison has quickly established herself as a torchbearer of sorts for girls wrestling.
That's fitting because Hutchison's older sister, Melina, was one of the first-ever female place-winners at a state wrestling tournament when she took third in 2000 at the 4A championships alongside Homer Olympian Tela O'Donnell, who took sixth that same year.
Michaela is still considered by many coaches and fellow wrestlers as the likeliest girl to win a state title, if not this season, then possibly as a sophomore or junior.
"She's got as good a shot (to win state) as any boy her weight or age," said Skyview coach Neldon Gardner.
Her coach isn't the only person saying this. Accolades for Hutchison come from coaches around Alaska.
"She's one of the best 103-pounders in the state, boy or girl," said South coach Tom Ritchie Jr. "She is the real deal."
And Kodiak's Pat Costello, who has been coaching that program for 15 years, says: "Michaela is the best girl wrestler I've seen."
Despite the praise, Hutchison remains modest, even self-effacing.
"I still don't feel like I'm very good," she said. "I just want to get better."
Clearly, Hutchison is at the forefront of the dozens of girls who wrestle varsity in Alaska, even though she doesn't feel anything like a role model.
She views herself as just a wrestler -- not a "girl wrestler" either -- and many are beginning to view her and the growing number of girls competing in a boy-dominated sport the same way.
"They're getting technically way better," Costello said.
Almost technically as good as boys, especially at the lower weights. Girls know they are still at a disadvantage at the middle and heavy weights because they're not as strong as the boys in those divisions.
That doesn't prevent Hutchison, or the other two girls on Skyview's team, from challenging boys, even if they're heavier and stronger.
"We'll wrestle anybody that's close in weight," Hutchison said.
It's that attitude, and the ability to back it up, that has people taking note of the strides female wrestlers have made in Alaska.
But while Hutchison and many other girls in this state have come a long way, earning respect and establishing themselves as equals on the mat, they can go further still.
INSPIRATION
The history of girls wrestling in Alaska is cloudy. Many of Alaska's large-school coaches said girls first began showing up for wrestling tryouts in the mid-1990s, although former ACS wrestler Jason Hofacker -- who just last month hung up his whistle as the ACS wrestling coach after seven years -- remembered girls wrestling at the small-school level in the late 1980s.
Regardless of when girls started going toe-to-toe with boys on the mat, they didn't truly make their mark until 2000. That's when Melina Hutchison and O'Donnell became place-winners at state -- and instant pioneers.
On Dec. 16, 2000, Melina Hutchison, wrestling at 112 pounds, placed third and O'Donnell, wrestling at 119, placed sixth at the fall state wrestling championships in Kenai, solidifying their legacy in the sport.
"I think Melina and Tela did wonders for girls wrestling," Gardner said. "When they came into the picture, it wasn't like guys were saying, 'Oh, you got this one.' They beat a good portion of the boys."
Numerous girls cited both Melina Hutchison and O'Donnell as either the reason they got involved with wrestling or their motivation for sticking with it once they reached high school.
For all the influence Melina Hutchison and O'Donnell have had on girls wrestling in Alaska, however, it was Michaela Hutchison who actually turned her older sister onto the sport.
"I started before her," said Michaela, who has wrestled for seven years.
Long before that, in the early 1970s, the roots of girls wrestling in the United States were forming. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX legislation to provide equal educational and athletic opportunities for women.
Due to Title IX, many universities eliminated wrestling because it was for men only. But over time, universities that wanted to keep wrestling instead decided to create equitable women's programs.
The popularity of those programs -- and the added scholarship opportunities -- created the need for developing wrestlers at the high school level.
At the same time, high schools began allowing girls to compete alongside boys in wrestling.
The numbers have grown ever since. In Alaska, the number of girls wrestling has steadily increased. Of the 1,267 high school wrestlers during the 2004-05 school year, 74 were girls, according to the Alaska School Activities Association.
That's roughly 6 percent of wrestlers. That also represents an increase of about 50 percent from the reported 36 girls who wrestled during the 2002-03 school year.
If the numbers continue to increase, credit might go to one Alaskan, O'Donnell, who in 2004 earned a spot on Team USA for the debut of women's wrestling at the Summer Olympics.
O'Donnell's journey to Athens, Greece, and her matches there, were chronicled extensively by local and national media.
Before O'Donnell earned her trip to the Olympic Games, though, she was just a student at Nikiski High, living with the family of former Nikiski wrestling coach and current Sitka assistant wrestling coach Steve Gillaspie and undergoing the training that would eventually make her a wrestling icon in Alaska and in the United States.
Gillaspie's daughter Abby, who still talks with O'Donnell regularly, has fond memories of O'Donnell living under the same roof and ultimately convincing the then-seventh-grader to give the sport a try.
"I never saw a girl wrestle until Tela," Abby said. "She was my inspiration to get into the sport."
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
One of Putnam's favorite T-shirts was a gift from former West wrestler Iris Mucha. It reads: "You wish you could wrestle like a girl."
Putnam is one of two girls wrestling for West, a school that also figures into the lore of girls wrestling history because as a sophomore, Mucha became the first girl from Region IV -- and the fourth statewide -- to qualify for a state tournament.
When Mucha wrestled and beat boys to qualify for state, or when Melina Hutchison and O'Donnell did the same, they began eradicating the notion that losing to a girl wasn't the end of the world.
Girls today encounter the same thing, albeit less often.
"When I first started, I'd hear people say to them, 'Oh, you got beat by a girl!' " Bachert said. "Lately it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. People are more accustomed to girls wrestling."
And the girls are more accustomed to succeeding at a sport where they've sometimes struggled.
"The stigma against wrestling girls isn't what it used to be," Costello said. "They have beaten enough guys to earn respect.
Girls have earned the respect of most boys, like Chugiak sophomore Brady Schultz (112), who learned first-hand to respect girl wrestlers. He lost to Bachert last season, although he beat her at the end of last season and also at last weekend's Glenn Vandergaw Classic.
"You're kind of nervous cause you don't want to lose and get made fun of," Schultz said. "But you respect what they can do."
Schultz, along with other guys, said they must go as hard against girls as they do against other boys, and coaches all said they instruct their wrestlers to do that too.
"We don't coach 'em any other way," said Chugiak coach David Bierria.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
Abby Gillaspie has to endure almost five more months as a junior at Sitka High, but she is about to begin working on her senior project -- coordinating an all-girls open wrestling tournament in Sitka that will follow the Class 4A state tournament in February 2006.
She hopes to draw the top varsity girls from around Alaska as well as up-and-coming junior varsity girls. She also hopes to get O'Donnell to town to hold workshops and provide some motivational speeches.
That could be a portent of things to come for girls wrestling in Alaska. Some coaches and athletes said they'd like to see a separate girls division at the large- and small-school state tournaments, although the numbers statewide would need to increase before that becomes a reality.
With the growing number of girls becoming interested in a sport long dominated by boys, however, the prospect of an all-girl division at state -- something other states have done -- could happen, even if the numbers seem slim at first.
"There won't be very many at first, but there will be soon," Costello said. "The girls are here, they wrestle hard and they're good. There's no doubt (an all-girl division will happen)."
Most of the girls wrestling in high school today are less concerned with how much they draw newcomers to the sport than how well they do in their respective matches.
But there's no doubt that as ambassadors for the sport, wrestlers like Leah Bachert and Abby Gillaspie are there to inspire young girls the way Melina Hutchison and Tela O'Donnell have inspired them.
"I would encourage them," Bachert said, "even if they're not getting it right away."
Michaela Hutchison -- by no means a crusader for girls wrestling with her words but certainly with her ability -- also would encourage young girls to take a chance and follow their heart. Her one simple piece of advice?
"I'd just say, 'Do it.' "
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The Scotsman, Wed 19 Jan 2005
GLASGOW'S WOMEN OVERTAKE MEN
By Craig Brown
ITS masculine image was forged in its shipyards and factories for generations, but Glasgow today is a woman’s city, with female workers now outnumbering men, according to a new report.
The survey, compiled by Glasgow City Council, has revealed that women make up 53 per cent of the city’s population. They also make up 52 per cent of the workforce, a figure which is rising at a faster rate than any time in Glasgow’s history.
The council said the city’s feminisation can be attributed to a softening of its image, which is now more often associated with shopping and nightlife than heavy industry.
The change has drawn women in their droves to live and work within the city boundaries.
According to the council’s survey, women hold 66 per cent of all jobs in public administration, education and health, 56 per cent in retail, hotels and restaurants and just over half in banking, insurance and finance.
The biggest changes have been in the 30 to 44 age range, most associated with professional, upwardly mobile women, where the female population rose by almost a third.
Julie Hall, the president of Scottish Women in Business, a networking organisation, said that Glasgow held definite attractions for women looking for a place to work. "There are a lot more women working within corporations nowadays, and this reflects the fact that Glasgow is very popular among big businesses," she said.
"For women setting up their own business, Glasgow has particular attractions. There is an excellent support network here."
A spokesman for the council said that the results showed that the city had been transformed.
"Over the past 20 years, Glasgow has seen its biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution," he said.
"The balance of the city’s population has shifted and we have to address that. An increasing percentage of professional women are choosing to work and live in the city.
"This is a reflection of the opportunities for women who are better educated than men."
He added: "Also, there has been a greater emphasis on safety, with the introduction of public safety units and city centre wardens."
Jane Meneely, 35, who has worked in the city as an architect for almost two decades, said she had seen a definite increase in what Glasgow has to offer women.
"For working in the Glasgow building trade, it’s certainly become easier in terms of commanding respect.
"There are a lot more architects in Glasgow who are employing women, and there are a lot at an age where they are beginning to get to the top of the tree in their career."
Outside her work with Hypostyle Architects, where she is an associate director, Miss Meneely says the city is also much more "woman-friendly".
"It feels a lot safer, and in terms of socialising, there are a lot more clubs and restaurants.
"Shopping also is a big thing. There are now a lot of places in the city that five or six years ago you would have had to have gone to London to find.
"Generally, the place is more open to women in a social context. There are more opportunities to enjoy ourselves on our own. I have gone out for meals on my own - lunch or breakfast - and I’ve not felt that it was strange or felt out of place."
Edinburgh’s population shows a closer proportion of women to men, 52 per cent to 48 per cent, but the balance of workforce is reversed, with men representing 52 per cent and women 48 per cent. These figures have remained relatively static over the past decade.
But despite Glasgow’s increasingly feminised working population, equality of pay remains a stumbling point.
In 2002, women in full-time employment earned a third less than men, though this represented a 3 per cent rise from 1999 figures.
Councillor Irene Graham, the equalities spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council, noted this.
She said: "The report shows clearly that there are still barriers to employment for many women. Female earnings are still lower in comparison with men, despite evidence of higher educational attainment among women."
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Why women are better astronauts than men
JAMES REYNOLDS
SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT
If Space scientists had known better at the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969, the mission’s defining legacy might have read "one small step for a woman, one giant leap for womankind".
New medical research has revealed that the mental and physical characteristics of women mean they are far better suited to long-term space travel than men. As a result, one medical expert has now claimed there is a very strong case for an all-female cosmonaut crew on the first mission to put humans on Mars.
William Rowe, a professor of medicine at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, in the United States, said: "A manned trip to the Red Planet should, in fact, be womanned."
Prof Rowe has published new research in the journal Mens Health and Gender, which focused on the hormonal and physical make-up of women under 30 years of age, and concludes that they are far better suited to long-term, long-distance travel than men.
In particular, men in their thirties and forties are much more likely to develop the first signs of heart disease, a condition exacerbated by space travel. Women are protected from this by their comparatively high levels of oestrogen.
Drug treatments during space flight are not recommended because they are not readily absorbed in weightless conditions, the liver and the kidneys do not function at their best and the drug compounds deteriorate more quickly owing to the higher levels of radiation experienced in space.
Men are also disadvantaged because they retain much higher levels of iron in the body than women, particularly in space, and this can reach toxic levels. Women’s reduced body mass, which requires fewer calories and produces less waste, also makes them yet more suitable as long-term astronauts.
There is one drawback to having an all-female crew, said Prof Rowe. They should avoid space walks during menstruation because of the increased risk at that time of decompression sickness, resulting from lower total blood volume.
Regardless of that risk, however, Prof Rowe remained adamant that women would be much better placed than men to take a trip to Mars, a mission with an expected duration of two years. He said: "The cards are stacked against man in space."
Britain’s first woman in space was Helen Sharman, who became an astronaut after responding to an advertisement which said: "Astronaut wanted - no experience necessary."
At the time she was a scientist researching into the chemical and physical properties of chocolate for Mars confectionery in Slough. In May 1991, after intensive training, she joined a crew of male Soviet cosmonauts on an eight-day Anglo-Soviet Juno space mission. Her job on the Mir space station was to carry out 20 scientific experiments dealing with biology, Earth observation, the growth of crystals and the effects of space on the body.
The first female leader of a space mission was Eileen Collins, a US Air Force colonel, who commanded the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999.
Dr Didier Schmitt, the head of life sciences at the European Space Agency, said: "From documented experiences on the Russian Mir Space Station, it is correct that for long-term missions with an all female crew, astronauts do perform extremely well. Having females in a group is very positive because it breaks down the competition within the male group.
"We have now shifted from research on men over to women for the next year. We are conducting experiments on human physiology under conditions of 60 days bed rest at minus six degrees, and now we have finished the tests on men we are about to carry out the same research on women to see if they react the same way.
"It will provide either further evidence to corroborate this story, or it could even reveal results which are completely at odds with it."
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Shades of Desire
by Janis Cortese
Women aren't as sexual as men are."
"Men need sex -- girls need love."
"Women don't like that sort of thing."
"Motherhood is the crowning glory of a woman's life."
"Children and relationships mean more to women than to men."
"A woman is most feminine when she is with her man."
We've all heard variations on these themes, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. The hard part is that some of them contain a grain of truth wrapped in a lie:
Girls(sic) do need love. But so do men, and anyone who thinks that girls don't want sex as well is pretty behind the times.
Motherhood is a wonderful achievement in a woman's life. But is fatherhood no more crucial? Are there no other ways a woman can achieve?
A woman is feminine when she's with her man. She's also feminine with her friends, by herself, or playing with the dog. A woman cannot but be feminine.
Many of the above statements solemnly handed down like tablets from the mountain hinge on one or more of the following assumptions:
•
Women are not interested in sex. We do not feel lust, or physical desire as profoundly as men do.
Women are not interested in sex. We do not feel lust, or physical desire as profoundly as men do. •Women are not interested in such "shallow" things as looks.
Women are not interested in such "shallow" things as looks. •Women are always with men, and are incomplete otherwise.
Women are always with men, and are incomplete otherwise. In other words, women are non-lustful, and always straight. Or else they are not women. If we are, then we are called by a number of things that supposedly un-sex us. Whores. Lesbians. Often both of these at once.
The one thing that these two epithets have in common is that they connote a woman who has sex how she wants it, and may not be at the beck and call of a man. (Remember the double standard that calls a guy a stud if he has lots of sex, and a woman a slut if she does?) In short, a woman who can and will say, "No."
Or rather, a woman who, even more frightening, can say "No" sometimes and "Yes" other times. Times when she "shouldn't." Times when someone tells her not to. Her no is her own -- an autonomous choice. And this is the most frightening thing of all -- the idea of a woman who approaches sex on her own terms, who is not controllable through it.
Out of control? Nymphomaniac? Sexpot? Slut? Not at all -- we're not talking about women who will sleep with everyone they see, or women who see sex as commitmentless fun to be had at the local bar.
Often all it takes is the simple acknowledgement of enjoying sex, no matter how monogamously you do it, or having had sex with "the wrong person," or having romantic thoughts about another woman to brand a woman a "slut" or "whore." In other, words, a normal woman -- a woman who likes looking at men or other women. A woman who fights the guilt that society puts on her shoulders.
In short, a woman (or girl) who will say no to one person and yes to another, for no reason other than the fact that she desires the second and not the first. Often, what society calls a "slut" is not the "girl who can't say no." Society has a perfect niche for such women. What society detests is the girl who can and will say no, when and wherever she feels like it. A girl who will sleep with this boy and not that one. A girl who will want this woman and not that man.
A girl who exercises choice.
And what could be more normal, more human than to have one's own autonomous desires, and to act on them? Just what is so terrible about this?
Women, BDSM, and Society
1.Dominant and female
Dominant and female 2.Dominant and male
Dominant and male 3.Submissive and female
Submissive and female 4.Submissive and male
Submissive and maleCulture at large has determined that 2 and 3 are the ideal pair and that anything else is "weird" and "strange," while at the same time nursing a massive prurient fascination with the 1 and 4 combination.
The dominant woman often faces the problem of being the secret hot fantasy of a large number of men -- when the lights are out. When the lights come up, though, she is expected to walk two steps behind him at parties, defer to him at company dinners, and laugh at his jokes while making none of her own at social functions. In other words, the prurient interest of society is such that she is greatly pursued -- as long as no one knows about it.
If the dominant woman is straight, her lover will adore her in the bedroom, but freak out if any of his buddies find out about her. Her sexuality is turned into a dirty shameful secret. She is sought after in bed, but reviled when the lights come up. A man will want her when no one else is watching, but ignore or condemn her when anyone else is. To say that this hypocrisy is insulting and maddening is an understatement. And it can be very difficult to find a man who is willing to treat her sexuality as anything other than a dirty little secret that he'd die if it got out. Sometimes living in a closet can be sadly necessary -- but being shoved there by someone who then expects to share that same sexuality with you is more than a tad bit annoying.
It also illuminates the current au fait opinion among so-called "pro-sex feminists" that all of the sexual landscape of western culture is set up for the delectation and advantage of the dominant woman. I once visited Las Vegas. Every single taxicab and billboard I saw had some half naked woman in a nice and submissive, pliant pose for the delectation of the presumed male viewer. If the sexual landscape is so fabulous for the dominant woman, where are all the pretty young long haired 20-year-old boys hiding? Oh, that's right -- there aren't any (unless you're talking about gay male escort services, which one can probably find without much trouble in LV, although I didn't find out). Why do the "pro-sex feminists" think then, in the face of a complete absence of pliant-looking pretty young femme men in entertainment and the world at large, that the sexual world favors the dominant woman? Because most of the johns in Vegas want the hooker to beat them up.
Huzzah. We're supposed to feel empowered by becoming a new mass consumption item. The problem is -- dominant women aren't empowered by being consumed. We're empowered by consuming, and until just as many taxicabs are covered with pictures of pliant, pretty young decorated men, I will remain skeptical of claims that the world is designed to the advantage of the straight or bisexual dominant woman. Being bought and paid for is not empowering to the woman with the dominant mindset. We are empowered by buying and paying, metaphorically speaking.
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Women cleverer than men
BBC News
Wednesday, 8 December, 2004
Women are brighter than men, according to the Labour chairman of the Commons education committee.
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman said there was a "danger" of being obsessed about how boys were doing at school.
His comments followed a committee discussion about whether girls or boys found it easier to learn to read.
"My own personal view is that women are brighter than men," the MP said, adding that women now earned on average more than men as middle managers.
He said: "We should celebrate this, shouldn't we? The brightest kids are coming through and they happen to be women."
In recent years girls have consistently outperformed boys at all levels of the education system.
The "gender gap" at GCSE level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this year was 5.3 percentage points at grades A* and A and by 8.4 points at grades C and above in girls' favour.
More young women than men go to university.
In reading, girls had "significantly higher average performance" in all countries except Liechtenstein. The biggest gap was in Iceland.
Science showed the smallest average gender gap, with boys doing a little better.
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The Saturday Profile: A Tribe in Botswana Follows a Leader Called Woman
December 11, 2004
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
RAMOTSWA, Botswana - Mosadi Seboko's first name is not really a name. Rather, it is a reflection of her father's
shock when he first saw her. Translated from Setswana, the local language here, it means simply "woman."
Her father was chief of the Baletes, one of the eight major tribes of Botswana, who settled in this region just south
of the nation's capital, Gaborone, more than a century ago. In the Balete royal family, it is a given that the chief's
firstborn child will be a boy so that he can inherit the throne.
"My dad said: 'Well, it's a woman. What can I do? It's my child,' " Ms. Seboko said.
Woman Seboko is now 54, and lo and behold, she is the leader of the Baletes herself, the first female paramount
chief ever in Botswana. She was enthroned 15 months ago after challenging and overcoming her own family's efforts to keep the chiefdom a patriarchy.
"She had uncles who could definitely ascend to the throne," said Loabile Mokosi, a cousin on her late father's side. "But the question became: What stops her?"
Very little, it seems. In a society where women are expected to bow without question to their husbands' sexual
demands, even if their spouses are unfaithful, where wife beating is all too common and where women who marry under customary law are still considered minors, her victory does not just stand out. It proclaims that centuries-old Botswana tradition is doing the bowing now, to irresistible change.
A woman with a decisive manner and a taste for matching two-piece embroidered outfits, Ms. Seboko seems very
comfortable in her new role. But her path to one of Botswana's most important traditional posts was anything
but easy.
After her father died in 1966, Ms. Seboko's uncle became chief. Her only brother succeeded him in 1996. When he died in 2001, her father's relatives put forward a male cousin of Ms. Seboko as his successor, saying that according to custom, only males could rule.
Ms. Seboko, backed by her mother and seven sisters, insisted to the tribal elders that the touchstone was not
custom, but the 38-year-old Constitution of Botswana, with its guarantee of freedom from discrimination. Botswana's women's rights leaders urged her forward, saying that women must grasp power, not wait for it to be handed to them.
Ms. Seboko's 33,000 subjects here in Botswana's sun-baked southeast corner clearly were a bit perplexed by the
prospect of a female ruler. At her coronation, they showered her with gifts befitting a chief: a new silver
pickup truck, a computer, a printer. Also, a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner.
Since then, however, she has endeared herself to much of the tribe by balancing calls for change with respect for
tradition. Some men - and women - suggest quietly that she is too outspoken in defense of women's rights. But more say she has proved herself with her straightforward manner, accessibility and focus on the problems of Ramotswa's youth.
"She is doing very well," said Nfana Botlhole, a 38-year old unemployed man who came to a recent tribal meeting in a laborer's blue work pants. "Her brother wasn't around very much. Now since she came in, you can see what is going on. The youth have easy access to her and they listen to her."
At times, she has turned upside-down the notion of what a traditional leader thinks. It is hard to imagine a male
chief talking, as she does in interviews, about abuse against women. Her own husband beat her. "So I divorced in
1978," she said. "I can't stand violence. I didn't want to be abused."
Or about sexual rights: "I believe women have the power. It is very easy for us to say no to sex."
Or about H.I.V.: "To the men I am saying, please, everybody knows the scourge that is ravaging this country. Let's stop infecting everybody around."
But on other issues, her positions are as rooted in tradition as any male chief's. She supports caning as a
form of punishment in the kgotla, the red brick and tile open-air shelter that serves as the meeting place for the
tribe of 33,000. "It happens all the time," she said.
She doesn't approve of jeans-clad women in the kgotla. Or condoms in the schools. Nor does she see the need for people infected with H.I.V. to declare their status publicly.
Cynics may say that Ms. Seboko is chief now only because Botswana's chiefs no longer have any real power. Over time, elected officials have usurped much of their role. But in many communities, including Ramotswa, chiefs remain highly respected figures.
"I love her," said Mogogi Batsalelwang, a cook for the Botswana Defense Force, as she left the kgotla on a recent
day. Asked why, she paused with a look of surprise. "She is our chief. We love all our chiefs," she said.
Mosadi Seboko was born June 7, 1950, the first of nine children. Like most children then, she was given an English name, Muriel, along with her Setswana name. She was still a teenager when her father died. Her mother, she said, had no job training. So as soon as she finished high school, Ms. Seboko looked for work.
She went on to become a department manager for Barclay's Bank and the mother of four girls, divorcing after six
years of marriage. When she made her bid for the throne, she was working as a floor manager for an office supply
firm. Now she lives with her mother, who complains that she lets the villagers bother her at home.
As chief, Ms. Seboko is a mix of community conscience, family counselor, dispute mediator, crime prevention
officer and judge. She presides over civil cases involving amounts under $1,000 or 70 sheep or goats, and criminal
cases where the penalty is less than three years in prison or a fine. In certain cases, she can order six strokes of
the cane.
She earns about $2,000 a month, paid by the local government. She also served as head of the 16-member House
of Chiefs, which advises the government and Parliament on traditional issues, before stepping down in January.
Her manner is businesslike and friendly, except when it comes to the touchy subject of how her family fought over
her ascension. Wary of offending her uncles afresh, she firmly cut off that line of inquiry in an interview.
The weekend kgotla meeting showed how the bonds of male-dominated tradition were slowly loosening. For three
hours, more than 100 people wrangled over issues from roaming cattle to wayward children to suspicious
self-proclaimed priests.
The tribe's 14 male headmen sat in a row of chairs carried in by women. Male villagers dominated the discussion. Women hung in the back, silent save for a few. Until not too long ago, they were not even allowed in the kgotla, except by invitation.
But the agenda was set by Chief Seboko, who sat flanked by her uncle and two male cousins. The conclusions were hers, too.
One elderly man told her she was always defending women while women invited sexual advances by wearing skintight jeans. "If you see a watermelon, and you are hungry, what are you going to do?" he demanded. "When a man sees this, he asks: 'How much?' "
"I am not defending women," the chief said. "I am angry at women," she said, for failing to exert more control over
their own circumstances.
She didn't add, but could have, "As I did."
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Female Are Dominant Sex, Primate Study Suggests
James Owen in England
for National Geographic News
November 25, 2003
Feminists might be surprised to hear it, but females are the dominant sex in most primate communities. Far from being passive bystanders in a world governed by machismo, a new study suggests females may determine social evolution in primates.
Researchers based in the U.S. and Sweden who analyzed evolutionary change in groups of primates found the numbers of males lags behind females. The number of females in a group tends to be larger than the number of males; the more females there are the more males there will be, but only after a period, when the males have had time to catch up to the changing population.
As mixed-sex, multi-male groups are common in more advanced primate societies (including humans), scientists say the study highlights the importance of females in understanding social evolution.
The time lag between numbers of females and males was revealed using a family tree (or phylogenetic tree), with various branches showing relatedness between species.
"A simple example is the relationship between us and chimps which looks like a V," said Patrik Lindenfors, a zoologist at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. "Chimps are on one tip of the V, with us on the other, and our common ancestor at the bottom. The branches are the lines that connect the three."
Lindenfors and his team also used information on the approximate dates species diverged to work out group composition among their ancestors. "For example, the common ancestor of chimps and humans most probably was group-living because both chimps and humans are group-living," he added.
Such a reconstruction of ancestral group sizes would show one of the following patterns: no relationship between male and female numbers and social evolution, change being driven by either males or females, or the sociality of both sexes evolving in unison.
Lindenfors added: "If one sex drives social evolution then when a change happens to the group composition of this sex, for example the average number of females in a group increases, the other group would change as well, but with a time lag."
This is exactly the scenario the researchers found, with changes in the number of males consistently lagging behind females. Their findings are now published online in the scientific journal Biology Letters.
Baboons and Chimps
Almost 40 primate species were covered by the study. They included baboons, chimpanzees, and macaques—all known to live in large, mixed-sex groups.
So why should it be females that first seek to live in larger societies?
Scientists believe communal living is particularly beneficial to females because a ready food supply is crucial for successful reproduction. A primate "sisterhood"' would be better equipped to locate and defend food resources than individual animals. Similarly, the risk of predation is reduced if others are keeping a watchful eye.
But for males access to females is considered the major factor influencing reproductive success. Unlike females, which must gestate then rear their offspring, males can breed any time, and the more matings the better. So operating as an unattached "free agent" may be the best approach.
Lindenfors said: "The number of females that they can impregnate is what matters most for reproductive success." But, he adds, "the males should go where the females are."
This last quote refers to the work of behavioral ecologist Jeanne Altmann, who coined the expression. While a single dominant male can monopolize more than one female, Altmann suggested this could be disadvantageous to females because of increased female breeding competition and the danger of outside males killing young they know not to be their own.
Altmann and others suggest females that manage to attract more males to their group would increase mate choice and reduce levels of infanticide. Studies also indicate males are better at detecting and defending against predators.
To pull in additional males there would have to be more females in a group than the alpha male could manage. As numbers grow, his chances of hanging on to his harem lessen. Scientists believe females develop sexual strategies to make this scenario more likely.
More Males
Peter Kappeler, president of the European Federation of Primatology, provides an example, saying, "Females can synchronize their receptive periods. If all females of a group become receptive within a short period of time, it becomes increasingly difficult for a particular male to monopolize matings. As a result most females are able to mate with several different males."
However, researchers say synchronized estrus and other adaptations geared towards multi-male, mixed-sex group living would take time to evolve, so male numbers would lag behind. Males would also have to learn to live together while in female company. Then there's the problem of sexually-transmitted diseases, says co-author Charlie Nunn, an evolution and ecology researcher at the University of California, Davis.
Nunn said: "As the number of females in a group increases, there tends to be more males, and with this social system promiscuous mating commonly occurs. This may favor the transmission of STDs, along with many other directly transmitted pathogens." He says this would slow the evolution of larger, multi-male groups.
If females drive social evolution in primates, what about humans? To what extent have female ancestors shaped human society, and if ancient man had it his way how differently would we be living today?
Scientists say these are difficult questions, but Kappeler adds, "This and similar studies are relevant to understanding human social evolution in that they identify general principals which should have affected the evolution of human social behavior."
So when it comes to our own origins, perhaps "girl power" isn't a 20th-century invention after all.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chastity Today...
A Unique Experience
By Elizabeth Steven
Chastity devices can bring something truly unique to any relationship. Eroticism becomes enriched with the
delights and frustrations of orgasm denial, of teasing and of tormenting. Keyholders discover the
empowerment and intricacies of control. While the chaste man learns that masturbation does not equate to
sexual enjoyment and fulfilment, and he learns the "gift of orgasm".
Formation of the Fantasy:
Chastity belts and devices have long formed part of human sexual fantasy and desire, perhaps gaining
popularity during the Victorian era with myths of Medieval Lords and Knights riding off to fight in the
crusades whilst leaving their ladies at home locked in a chastity belt. At this time the fantasy was usually
based around the dominant male and the chaste submissive female, but over the last 50 or so years
this has changed. During Victoria's reign there was a strong religious focus on chastity and purity
resulting in an explosion in the production of chastity devices for men in both Europe and America.
The intention of these devices was to prevent masturbation. As the use of these devices slowly
gained popularity, so the male fantasy of chastity grew.
The vast majority of chastity belts and devices produced and sold around the world today are designed
for men, and it is estimated that of all chastity belt wearers as much as 90% of them are male. (Our own
survey carried out between July 2003 and July 2004 resulted in just 1% of respondents being female
wearers, this figure is probably in part due to Chastity UK having more male visitors than female).
Today's Society:
Within today's fast moving society our Western culture teaches us from a very young age that to succeed in
life we must strive for gratification, be the best, be the quickest, aim high, and win at all costs. But most
men would agree that when it comes to orgasm more, sooner or faster ejaculations does not necessarily
mean greater sexual enjoyment. This is something which regular wears of chastity devices would readily
agree with.
The Gift of Orgasm:
Men locked in chastity report that although they have far fewer orgasms than the "average" male, those which
they do have are more intense, more fulfilling and of a much better quality than they previously
experienced. And so a chaste man learns to appreciate his orgasms more as he learn the very gift
of each permitted orgasm.
Male chastity is not merely concerned with your wife controlling your sexual activity, but whether or not
she will grant you permission to orgasm for her.
Masturbation:
Male Chastity is not simply about being "Chaste" or "faithful" to a lover, it is also concerned with not
masturbating, and saving that energy for higher things. In terms of chastity, masturbation is not the
"gift of orgasm" it is a solitary act, to please and arouse oneself. The energy and effort expelled during
self masturbation should be diverted to paying attention to your keyholder, remember that a chaste
male within a loving relationship is saving himself for his Mistress, and that includes his soul, his
body, his mind and the spiritual energy potential within him.
The above statement is not implying that masturbation in general is wrong, it is how young people learn
about their sexual selves, how young adults practice for the real thing. Moderate masturbation is both
normal and healthy it can relieve stress and be a wonderful accompaniment to fantasy. However, in terms
of a chastity lifestyle masturbation can be viewed as a selfish, solitary act, which if practiced
excessively could become an addictive solution to the stress of our ever demanding work and life
commitments. Masturbation could become a distraction from life's problems, and will mean that energy used
for self pleasure could be better used elsewhere in your life, primarily on activities to please your
keyholder and make her life easier.
Tantric Teachings & Chastity:
Early Tantric writings have many similarities to today's chastity lifestyle. The relationship between
the chaste male and his keyholder are very close to customs of Tantrism which were formed around the
belief that women possessed a higher level of spiritual energy than men, and that men could only
hope to attain this through a loving, sexual and emotional relationship with a woman. This meant that
the frequency of intercourse and male orgasm was controlled by the woman, and that she should be
pleased by him, before he would be permitted orgasm. Tantric teachings tell us that the feeling of being
drained after orgasm is a loss in spiritual energy, and that a man should store up his vital fluids rather
than expending his energy in ejaculation.
The similarities are that keyholders control their chaste male, he needs to first please his lover, and
bring her to orgasmic ecstasy many times before he is granted release. He needs to learn that his
keyholder's sexual desires and pleasures are also his needs and pleasures. He will learn to experience
sexual ecstasy without the need for frequent ejaculations and orgasms. He will learn that
penetration is not essential to please his lady, and his skills of oral servitude will vastly improve
whilst he is locked within a chastity device.
Today's Chastity Lifestyles:
Male chastity today fits more commonly in to a healthy loving and sexual relationship than into the world of
BDSM and leather clad dominatrix, and it works best if the following 5 elements are part of that relationship:
1. Your wife enjoys controlling your sexual activity.
2. Your wife delights in deciding whether or not she
will permit you to orgasm.
3. You have an overwhelming need to please your wife
without promise, or expectation, of reward.
4. You feel you need to be submissive toward your
loving wife, and that you want to be aware of her
every need.
5. Chastity has been a major fetish for you.
Male chastity today is something unique to each individual man and his relationship. In general no
one style of chastity is better than any other, it is what is best for you and your wife.
With the increased interest in the wonders of male chastity the internet has exploded with information,
there are many stories of men who remain in their chastity devices for many months at a time without any
release, in some cases years (Our own survey of 2003 - 2004 had one respondent stating that he had been
locked up for 8 years without any release). However, these "facts" and stories are more likely to be based
on fantasy. There are very few chastity belts, tubes and cages which one would be able to wear for such a
long period of time without a single moments release. Think about issues of cleanliness and health.
Within some loving relationships the husband is kept in chastity by his wife as part of their lifestyle, he
will be locked in for a period of weeks and released when she demands, or when she wants to feel him inside
her. It is not uncommon in relationships where the wife has introduced her husband to male chastity that
he will remain locked in for periods of 6 months or so, of course being released only for reasons of
hygiene and then locked in again.
Sometimes the male will be required to wear a strap-on dildo to pleasure his lover, while he is denied.
There are even some MCDs with attachments specifically designed for this purpose to ensure that the man feels
very little sensation.
Just because a man is locked in a chastity device does not mean that he should not initiate sex. Many chaste
men are still expected by their dominant wife and keyholder to "make the first move".
Some keyholders require that the chaste male should masturbate himself to orgasm before being locked up
again. Others do not.
Some couples will use chastity as an extension of BDSM, and again this does not appeal to others. To
some the idea of being cockholded is an overwhelming desire.
In some relationships the partners will have a chastity contract, signed and agreed by both which
clearly sets out what is expected of the chaste male, the slave, as well as the responsibilities of the
keyholder.
Chastity belts and devices also fit well into D/s relationships as a tool of female supremacy to be used
occasionally.
Finally the chastity fantasy is a desire of many single men. The eroticism of having your penis
enslaved, held captive and of being denied orgasm is an overwhelming sensation.
As mentioned at the beginning of this page the use of chastity belts and devices can bring something very
special to your life whether you are single or in a relationship. The very thought of such intimate
control of your masculinity and your cock can be the most highly erotic way of life, fantasy, desire or
need.
