Editor,
I read with great interest Jenny Gignac’s column, “Feminism goes beyond gender,” and I thought it would be an informative piece about how men and women historically have fought for the political, social and economic equality of women, i.e. feminism.
What I found was the historical erasure and trivialization of feminism’s significance in people’s everyday life. That’s not to mention what feminism has meant for Gignac’s life and world ascendancy, especially when finding herself in male-dominated jobs.
Did Gignac know that within her lifetime and within the lifetimes of her mother and grandmother, women and men working together passed legislation or advanced the women’s position so that Gignac can vote, stand for political office, sit on juries, go to school and university and work in a male-dominated job while receiving the same pay for that work? She also has the right to not be sexually harassed or discriminated against in the workplace, be protected against domestic violence and voice her opinion without fear of ostracism and recriminations for going outside of her “sex.”
As we approach Women’s History Month, I hope that Gignac and other Daily Lobo columnists and reporters will attend some of the events to be held on campus and reflect on the historical meaning and significance of feminism and what it has meant for contemporary America.
For more information on National Women’s History Month, visit nwhp.org/whm/index.php
Melissa Bokovoy
UNM faculty
