Are some men finally coming out of their dens where they hid during the women’s movement to declare that feminism is now dead?

It would seem so. Sen. John Kyl of Arizona is denying the healthcare needs of women because he says he doesn’t personally need maternity care. Also, rumblings that all mothers should stay home with their children are again being heard in the land. No mention of working fathers not being with their children during the day.

Did it ever occur to these men in public life that until cities arose and the upper classes moved to the suburbs that there were really no homes for women to stay in?

The poor worked all day and slept on straw mats outside the rich landowner’s mansion. Poor farm workers worked the land and never had a home to retreat to. Their working hours were long and there was only time to sleep wherever they could lay their heads. Schools for the poor were unheard of and certainly not for females.

Recently Greg Mortensen, who had a failed attempt at climbing a Himalayan peak, took a wrong turn and stumbled into a remote village. He learned that there was a great need for schools—especially schools where girls were allowed to attend.

After years of raising money and building schools he realized that to educate females is to raise the standard of living in the whole society. Mortensen also informed the people of this country during the panic after 9-11 that not all Muslims are extremists or terrorists.

Anyone who has studied history knows that there are extremists in every culture. One cannot consider all those who appear foreign to us as the enemy.

Sen. Kyl and others still cling to the belief that all men are expected to make the living and women are to stay home and raise the children. The reality of the world is that many women are being denied their basic rights to choose for themselves. They are not allowed the same benefits and education that males take for granted.

In 2007, I sent notices out to all the local papers and TV stations about that year being the 35th anniversary of the passage of our state’s Equal Rights Amendment and these notices were virtually ignored. No wonder. Our country has never ratified the Equal Rights Amendment and there are only twenty states that have passed any form of their own equal rights legislation.

Nicholas Kristoff, with Cheryl WuDunn, has written the book "Half the Sky," in which he recognizes that women are half the population (really they are over half) and that their needs are not being met. Oprah Winfrey and other well-known celebrities are using their status to bring attention to the abuse of women around the world.

The economic downturn has made us all look more closely at what really matters in life. Perhaps we will finally take individual responsibility for making the world a better place for everyone.

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at 206-935-8663 or gnkunkel@comcast.net.