How Imperative it is for Mothers to Share Inequality Issues with Their Sons

Tuesday’s are about Women’s Inequality or Women’s Rights Issues facing women in business and females in general

One night I was sitting on the couch watching the 2015 Oscars, with my husband and son, when Patricia Arquette won the Best Supporting Actress role in “Boyhood.” I remember the moment vividly because she ended her speech powerfully with these words, “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States!” Immediately I jumped off the couch applauding and clapping in my living room just like Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez did at the same time in the audience saying, “That’s what I’m talking about!”

My 22 year old son looked at me and said, “Mom, women are equal in the world.” I looked at my handsome, college educated boy and said, “Thomas that is not true. She is talking about pay equality and women do not have it yet!” He started disagreeing with me more when I said, “Until you get married and your wife is earning less than you do for the same job you do, you won’t feel the impact of wage discrimination. Plus, you are cheap so you’ll really notice it then!” He didn’t reply. I stated my case too well and he isn’t living with a wife making less money than he is that overall decreases their family income. I know he will grasp it one day when he marries and the issue because “his issue!”

I have always supported women running for political office because I believe until there are more women helping to make and pass laws that affect females, we won’t have equality because men don’t live a women’s life. Even after being married for 29 years, my husband wonders why I’m so glued to the television and social media when there is a vote on something that affects women. He called me “too political” once to which I responded, “I’m an activist for women’s issues!” I love him. He’s smart; but he isn’t a woman and he hasn’t lived a woman’s life.

He may have supported me sharing sexual harassment situations at my first job but I’m not sure to what. He couldn’t feel what I felt when a creepy 60 year old male client of my prestigious boss kept inviting me overseas with him, brought me gifts, put his hands around my shoulders and called me “sweet hips.” My husband might have been mad the man was sexually harassing me but he never felt it the way I did. He wasn’t walking in my heels.

I have done some great things in my life supporting, fighting and advocating for women entrepreneurs but the best thing I did was to be honest and forthcoming sharing my life experiences with my sons so they could be different kinds of men entering the workplace. It worked because my son, who once questioned inequality facing women, works as an Orthopedic Surgical Physician’s Assistant under a female surgeon in a women’s sports medicine office with all women. I’m not sure he would have accepted this position if it wasn’t for his feminist upbringing.

NOTE: I reminded my sons today is National Voters Registration Day and to Register to Vote so they can have their voices also heard.