I recently wrote a poem titled Defining Woman
This poem was read on the podcast Conversations with Chordates for a Women’s History Month special. Please check out the recording here.
[Poem Transcript]
Define a woman, he said.
He answered, it’s simple anatomy.
As if having a hysterectomy or skipping vaginoplasty
Makes you less than.
It’s a family role, he replied.
But my friends and I pursued our careers
Did following our hearts mean we don’t have one?
It’s all about reproduction
Then what are those who don’t or can’t?
Woman isn’t an expectation
it’s defiance.
Women are
The suffragettes who sewed on pockets
Only to have them shrunken and sealed
So we stitched together our freedoms.
Women are
The housewives who dreamed of more
Only to be denied jobs for wanting children one day
So we reorganized to run our own industries.
Women are
The pedestrians who got harassed
Then were blamed for imaginary seduction
So we embraced the beauty of our different figures
Women are
The riot leaders
And lavender menaces
In every color, class, and culture
Showcasing our boundless abilities
And beautiful minds
We bolster economies,
Build communities,
And continue to stand as one.
Still oppressed,
Our war is not over.
So we throw out our elbows
And continue
To take
Up
Space.
We are
Diverse
We are
Proud
We are
Resilient.
So go on, sir.
What makes a man?
This piece was written in reference to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing where she was asked to define the word woman by Senator Marsha Blackburn. While Associate Justice Jackson answered thoughtfully and clearly, those who asked her had trouble with answering the same question.
The topic of what makes someone a woman is not unique to US politics. In 2022, two candidates for Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison, were asked the same question on a televised discussion prior to the federal election. They, too, had overly simplified responses.
I wanted to take this opportunity during Women’s History Month to showcase the evolution of womanhood, for all women.
While poetry is inherently a creative art, the topics I mentioned are backed by real life events and peoples’ lived experiences.
Please note, as I’m from the United States, the events I reference occurred/occur in the US. While these experiences are not universal, even within the US (all women are unique and their experience and relationship with their gender identity may be widely different), these are people’s experiences. And these are the people whose voices I felt I could help amplify.
Women are
The suffragettes who sewed on pockets
Only to have them shrunken and sealed
So we stitched together our freedoms.
The first event I mention is the women’s suffrage movement. The suffrage movement, or the fight for women’s right to vote, occurred from the mid 1800s into the early 1900s. Women employed many tactics in protest, some more violent like rioting and smashing windows, and others much more quiet such as peaceful picketing. I specifically mention a practice where women sewed on extra pockets to their clothes. Extra pockets (an article in the New York Times cited 7 or 8) became a symbol of independence and equality, both themes of the women’s fight for voting rights. The suffrage movement marked a period of changing the role of women in society, and thus the definition of woman. Since, pockets and clothing have continued to be a symbol for feminism.
Women are
The housewives who dreamed of more
Only to be denied jobs for wanting children one day
So we reorganized to run our own industries.
Occurring off the back of the suffrage movement was the women’s fight for a position in the workforce. This shift really kickstarted a dramatic shift in what it looked like to be a woman. During WWII, while men were drafted to join the armed forces, women were left at home, with a gaping hole in the workforce to fill. For the first time, women were stepping into civic jobs and even joined the military. However, when the war ended, women were pushed out of these positions or endured lots of sex-based discrimination at work. After getting a taste of a new role in society and learning valuable skills in their new jobs, women used the experiences and empowerment they found during this period to drive forward women’s rights to equal opportunity and equal pay for equal work. Rosie the Riveter continues to be a symbol for women empowerment. In 2020, women made up over 50% of the US workforce.
Women are
The pedestrians who got harassed
Then were blamed for imaginary seduction
So we embraced the beauty of our different figures
I don’t want to speak too much about the next stanza for the mental health of potential readers. I would like to only refer to the #MeToo movement and the body positive movement (aka the body acceptance movement, or, as I like to think of it, representation of diversity matters). But please know that around 30% of women over the age of 15 experience sexual violence. That number only increases when looking at cases of sexual harrassment. A 2018 survey reported approximately 80% of women and 40% of men (both over the age of 18) experienced some form of sexual harassment.
Women are
The riot leaders
And lavender menaces
In every color, class, and culture
Showcasing our boundless abilities
And beautiful minds
Gender identity can hardly be isolated from one’s other identities. In this stanza, I wanted to draw attention to the more hidden histories of women. During the Gay Liberation Movement, trans women of colour led the riots and rallies for LGBTQ+ rights in the US. Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are renowned for their roles in the Stonewall Riots, but these women are not alone in bringing LGBTQ+ women to the table. Lesbians were largely left out of the women’s rights movement, so they created their own group to fight for equality of all women, including lesbians, women of colour, and women in lower socio-economic classes. Lavender Menace, originally a disrespectful term, became a driving force for women’s rights. By calling out the homogenous nature of the women’s rights movement, the definition of woman began to include people of colour, neurodivergent peoples, disabled peoples, LGBTQ+ people, people of various socio-economic statuses, people of various marital statuses, etc. And we still have a long way to go.
We bolster economies,
Build communities,
And continue to stand as one.
Women’s rights (measured by “empowerment” in workforce, political identity, etc.) correlates with economic growth (Gulcio and Kulkarni, 2017; Kabeer, 2020; Morrison et al., 2007; Saqib, 2016). As we focus on women during country development and socio-economic advancement, we expect to see greater success for that country.
This woman’s history month, take a moment to look back and see how much “woman” has changed, and look forward to see how much else we can improve. There is no one way to be a woman. Scientist, mother, independent, conservative, Social Justice Warrior, passive, Nasty Woman.
Additional Resources
National Organization for Women
USAID for women with disability
US Department of Health Womens Mental Health
National Institute of Mental Health – womens mental health
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
The Problem with the Gender Binary with John Stewart
Human Rights Campaign post about John Stewart gender binary episode
samanthamarine.com 