Photoessay #2493 - Stuck in second-wave feminism

So I'm taking this Introduction to Women's Studies class.  I have a number of gripes about it but still...

It's small so I'm allowed, as an access student, to write the papers.

I now realize that I'm (probably hopelessly) stuck in second wave feminism.

The feminism of personal narrative; the emerging consciousness of women (mostly middle class and white) about their own attitudes and life decisions.  How we are all conditioned to accept certain behavior roles.  How it's internalized and we don't even see it.  We accept and enable our own oppression.  That transforming the narrative of our own lives we can reclaim some of the power taken from us.

Memoir feeds from the same spring.  Your life, your story, are worth telling.  "I must speak."

So I decided to write the story surrounding the loss of my job almost four years ago.  Or rather how the decisionmakers in that organization determined that they no longer wanted me to work there.  I'm naming names.  About the inherent sexist nature of the organization and the disrespect, maniputlation and condescension I suffered during the last year I worked there.  Not a pretty story.  I must speak.  Not more crawling away in disgrace.

Often these sexist practices are all around you.  And you can't even see them.

Here's an example.  The workers at this company were all women.  The directors, board and president were all white men.  We would have 'sales' conference calls almost  every morning.   All women and the man president.  We didn't talk about sales (which I still can't figure out).  The explicit reason for the call was that if any of us (women) had something to ask the President, this was our chance.  Sometimes he mocked us in the form of joking.  We all laughed.  It was also time for us women to listen to his stories about his latest fancy vacation or stories of his kids.  We all listened and acted appropriatly impressed at the expected times.  He could talk about his life; he could hold court in front of his loyal subjects.  But we weren't supposed to bring up similar stories from our own lives.

I put up with this for a long time.  But I thought to myself.  I am too old to endure this kind of garbage.  Ain't I a woman???

So I wrote a piece about the loss of my job; my separation from my employer.  Personal affronts, insulting comments, condescension.  Have the courage to write it.  If you don't expose it, you enable it.  But really what can I do with this piece now that I've written it?  I don't know.

I mentioned this to my teacher today; the form of the paper.  She said that Gender Studies academic programs did not value the personal narrative.  It was all about research, studies and citations..  You have to have sources.  I figured that I could find something in the literature.  So far, I haven't found much.

Personal stories of women's lives?  Not valued.  Too second-wave.