Women Unbound Reading Challenge

I am so excited for this challenge! Eva at A Striped Armchair, Aarti from Booklust, and Care from Care's Online Book Club are have opened a challenge dedicated to women. The Women Unbound Reading Challenge encourages participants to read nonfiction and fiction books related to women’s studies. Eva gives a definition of this on the page about the challenge. Eva has even given us a great reading list to give us some ideas. They've definitely left the topic of women's studies broad enough that the choices are practically endless.

There are three levels you can choose as a reader:

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

Head on over to the Women Unbound blog to learn more and sign up. The contest runs from November 1, 2009 - November 30, 2010, so going to go for Suffragette. With a whole year ahead of me, I'm optimistic that eight books is no problem!

Eva has posted a WOMEN UNBOUND Start of Challenge Meme:
1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act?

Feminism, for me, is the philosophical belief that people are equal regardless of gender and contains the express purpose of countering antiquated beliefs about what it means to be a woman. I don't believe feminism is particular to any specific situation or locale. It is a state of mind, something that does not leave you or shift from one place to another. And it doesn't have anything to do with the way you look, the way you dress, where you work, sexuality, religion, or even gender.

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

Absolutely. The issue of female equality has been lauded as a success. Oh, Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin, look how far women have come. And I absolutely agree that the struggle for equality has come a long way, but there is still much to do. When 19 year old females in my college English course tell me that they wouldn't vote for Clinton because she's a woman and "can you imagine what she'd do while PMS-ing?", I know that we have a long, long way to go.

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?

The biggest obstacle women face today is the misconception that the struggle is over. That we are equal to men and we can relax now. We have fooled ourselves into believing that the issues women face have been solved; that perceptions regarding womanhood have shifted to the point where we no longer need to be so concerned. These rose-tinted glasses mean more and more women are blind to the obstacles we still have to overcome. As for a second obstacle - WOMEN. We are our own worst enemy as we allow ourselves to be objectified and even encourage this objectification and youth-based sexualization. Even after how far we've come, girls still "act stupid" around guys - I see it every week in the college courses I teach; an A female student will dumb herself down for the C male student she has a crush on. It's terrifying.