The war on women is real. It’s nothing new and it’s not going anywhere.
That clearly has to change. We’re working on that.
But while we defend ourselves, women can’t let the soldiers of misogyny separate us. They’re already trying. It’s a diversionary tactic, a political strategy, an ideological agenda. Divide the women and take away their power.
We don’t have to let that happen.
Women can either stand united or allow ourselves to be divided. It’s that simple.
Honestly, most women don’t really care about mommy wars and cat-fights and judging whether a feminist “has it all” or not. We’re too busy living our lives, whatever those lives are that we’ve chosen.
We don’t have time to start fighting with each other. We have better things to do. Like leading the best lives possible. Like working together to gain ground on issues that make the lives of women — and all people — better.
We, the Women is a declaration of women’s unity. As an online petition, it gives voice to our combined strength. But the principles of the declaration go deeper, reminding us to focus on what’s actually important and talk about the real issues.
This project came from the fabulous mind of Marti McKenna, who was kind enough to ask me to be involved. Most of this project is her, and she’s amazing. I am as eager as she is to see how We, the Women might evolve as a project for the greater good.
I recognize and celebrate that every woman is unique. Just because we’re all women doesn’t mean we all believe the same things. That’s as it should be. A woman who raises a family works just as hard as a CEO. A woman living in poverty does have it much tougher than a woman of wealth, but that doesn’t mean we should turn on each other. Instead, we should help each other. Respect each other. Honor each other’s lives and choices. Work together, not against each other.
That’s the idea here, and we hope both women and men will join us.
The war on women is undoubtedly going to get worse before it gets better. The last thing women need to do is help those who would defeat us, who would control the decisions we get to make about our individual lives. Whatever those decisions might be.
We, the women, can take charge of our own destiny with much greater strength if we remain unflinchingly united.
So let’s stick together.
Elsie Snuffin 