Feminism

I guess the origins of my support for feminism is rooted in seeing my mother, an engineer in a male dominated field, get paid and treated as a woman at work, rather than a mind.

I'm still learning a lot on the topic, and I certainly don't claim to be a scholar in it. However, one doesn't need to look too hard to notice the double standards for women:

If a wife is more capable and more intellegent than her husband, why is she expected to stay home raising the kids and doing the domestic thing?
Why does a woman have to work twice as hard as a man to get less professional respect and less pay?
Why is it that a woman with grey hair is considered old, while a man with grey hair is considered distinguished?
Why is a well-kept woman considered lazy and vain, while a well-kept man is considered professional?
Why is a promiscuous man considered studly, while a promiscuous woman is considered to be a slut?
Why is a man who is successful is business considerd to be shrewd and aggressive, while a woman with those same traits is considered to be backbiting and bitchy?

Another issue I wrestle with is beauty. I am definitely guilty of succumbing to pheromones of visual stimulation. However, although it is true that within society women that are considered beautiful are preferred, that is not the case in business. I have heard and seen many times that if a woman is conidered to be too beautiful, she will also have difficulty finding work. This is probably due to the fact that it is assumed that she spends more time on her appearance, and less time on actual work. (If you've got perfect nails, it's hard to write, type. etc.)

Similarly, I've heard told that women who are too beautiful have trouble finding dates, as everyone assumes that she already had one, or that she is too beautiful to date the likes of an ordinary Joe.

I learned a great deal from The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolfe.

I am open to suggestions on other books/resources, or your opinions on the matter.

Sinphony