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Sexist Language and Pregnancy
11:05 AM Posted In feminism , sexism Edit This 2 Comments »Language is non-sexist:
"We are having a baby."
Language that is sexist:
"She is having my baby."
Um, excuse me but it is just as much hers as it is yours. If not more considering her body created it, you only contributed some sperm.
Language that is downright dumb:
"We are pregnant."
Really? And where is your uterus, sir? Or are you some strange human-seahorse hybrid?
2 comments:
"...you only contributed some sperm."
Ouch, that was below the belt. There's a lot more to fatherhood than a genetic contribution, and blaming men for the fact that they can't carry children is a bit sexist, too. It's that sort of thinking that makes it painfully difficult for a man to retain custody of his kids during a divorce, or causes a man to get nailed with child support for a child he never agreed to and whose conception he had no control over (I'm referring specifically to cases where the man was deceived about what birth control methods were in use). It's hugely important to recognize the incredible effort and sacrifice mothers make, but the nurturing aspect of fatherhood is constantly ignored in our society, because apparently you have to have a uterus to be a nurturing parent!
Sorry for the mini-rant!
~Reave
Sorry, but a discussion that included a comment similar to "having my baby" just sent me into a fit of frothing rage. And I meant the above comments to refer only to the gestation period and not to any point thereafter.
Mini-rant was fully deserved.
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