Do women really want equality?

The cry for equality is so great that my cousin tells me that his wife only makes her half of the bed. But equality is not really a two-way street. For example, when I ask American women, “How long should Mr. Perfect permit you to be out of work before he leaves you?" I always get the most interesting stare. Either the women answer quickly, “never.” Or they hesitate, realizing the conflict between "equality" and the tradition of men supporting women when they are not working, and answer “never” nevertheless.

Equality is such an overused word that most people can't agree on what it means. Do they mean equality of opportunity, which would include the opportunity to fail. Or do they mean equality in result, in which case, effort is not required because the result is mandated.

I find that it helps to have a working definition so that we can all know what we mean when we use the word "equality." Let me suggest two of the four Oxford English dictionary's definitions:"The condition of having equal rank, power, excellence, etc., with others" as well as "fairness, impartiality."

There is great appeal in the concept of equality. It connotes a lack of supression and opportunity. In the male-female rivalry that has existed in the West for sometime, the concept of equality means to many, a sharing of responsibility and freedom from what some women view as obligatory or involuntary servitude. One dictionary defined equality as "the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints . . . immunity from an obligation or duty." But if eliminating external restraits or immunity from an obligation or duty are what you want, then why not remain single?

It almost sounds like freedom. And therein lies the point: freedom, taken to the limit, means a lack of obligation or duty. Who could have more freedom that a single man. The very act of marriage means a surrendering of freedom and the assumption of obligation and duty. It is interesting that women from the East, Asia in particular, recognize that men have a choice. Therefore, they assume that it is their duty to make him want to continue living in an "unfree" state.

Compare this to the appeal to feminism in some advertisements for Salem cigarettes. The headline read, "You can have it all, baby." The belief is among many Western women is that they can have a career, a family, and a husband. Well, I don't know about you, but I find that it is a full-time job just to master one of these and you are lucky if you can master two of them. It is the mistress of the universe who can put in a full day's work, come home and take care of the children, and then make her husband glad he surrendered his previous free state.

So the answer is that many American women do not want equality. They want it all and they don't want to have to pay the price of their Eastern sisters: making their husbands glad they gave up freedom.