The Power of Blogs for Women
Unfair Pressure and the Value of Blogs for Women
First, be clear. Most women in the United States enjoy circumstances far better than women ever have before – though this may more be a statement about how bad things were than about how far they’ve come. But as countless blogs for women demonstrate, there are persistent issues that women face precisely because they are women. Short of rectifying these problems, many women experiencing such issues may find it comforting to know that there are communities and networks that promote online women discussions for the sole purpose of offering genuine empathy.
Some of the biggest uniquely feminine challenges that women face include continuing pressure relating to physical appearance and body, less compensation at every level of employment in most major corporate settings, pressure to have a successful full-time job and be the primary parent or homemaker, and increasing evidence that giving birth to a first child after age 30 significantly increases the odds of congenital problems. Another difficulty that plagues women, if sometimes indirectly, is the sexualization of the young feminine form and increasing sexual behavior among girls in their very early teens.
The first and most important part of handling these kinds of pressures for many women is to remain cognizant of the fact that they are not alone. At the very least, many networks of blogs for women make it possible to find stories of women who have been through the same thing and to learn from their experiences. Secondly, not being alone means not having to work through feelings about the experience in isolation. If friends or family are not able to offer a listening ear or are not the right people to share sensitive information with, there are a few very good online women’s networks that bring together like-minded women without ever needing to “know” each other outside the website.
Lastly, while railing about the inequity of it all is neither helpful nor a strategy for short or long term improvements, many women do take solace in the fact that any sane or logical person would recognize that the fact that these problems still exist is patently ridiculous. However absurd, experiencing these pressures isn’t something that women need to bear alone.
