A Women Studies Note

I’m studying for a women studies midterm that is focused on the interactions of race, class and gender, and how they intersect to generate further inequality. I’m reading “Doing Difference” by Candace West and Sarah Fenstermaker. It’s funny because there is a section that focuses on white middle-class bias on feminist thought. They go on to explain that some feminist work talks about oppression by women who are not oppressed. While reading this, I was thinking that they speak of colored women as though we are completely marginalized in society. I am a young colored woman, however I never think of myself as an oppressed individual affected by the inter-sectional implications of race, class and gender. Perhaps because I’m a second generation Canadian born female. Perhaps the generations before me have paved the way so that individuals such as myself don’t feel the slap of racism, or the glass ceiling of sexism. Perhaps because “class” is no longer defined by your family, but of what you make of yourself, by making your own opportunities and pursuing what you wish. I study women studies, and find that it does not highlight the changes in society, but focuses on how women were traditionally oppressed. I am definitely a feminist, and will always feel the need for change (especially for those who are not as fortunate), but I greatly appreciate my geographic location for alienating me from such damaging oppression, and would like to thank feminists everywhere, because their work (even if it can be repetitive), has obviously been worth it.