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I know that people are not always 100% satisfied with the road they are traveling. There are always things we would/could change to make life better/easier/fairer. But this recent gallup poll shows a big jump in dissatisfaction of women from their poll taken in 2001.

Women have made a lot of head way since the 60's and had a long road to travel from the beginning of time. And while they have made progress, it is very difficult to get rid of the old stereotypes that a certain part of society insist on keeping around because it fits their personal purpose and benefits them in some way.

According to the latest US Gallup Poll in December 2018, 52% of women were dissatisfied with the way they are treated in society, and only 27% of women are somewhat satisfied. Men, according to this poll, were 37% dissatisfied with the way women were treated in society in 2018 .

In a poll taken in 2001, only 39% of women were dissatisfied with how society was treating them, while 20% of men felt dissatisfaction with the treatment of women.

Of course, men are always going to be more satisfied with their treatment of women because they aren't women and societal views have influenced them! Their dissatisfaction % has risen because they were pushed by women and society to make room for them in the job market. And many more families depend on those two paychecks to make ends meet. So they depend on women more therefore they benefit from how women are treated. 

Many more women have college educations today and still have to meet the demands of working harder and longer hours in both their career and at home to keep the home front running.

Just look at how men have had to pay for their treatment of women in the last several years since the women's marches and #metoo charges of sexual harassment and misconduct. And the statistics above are related and change according to race, gender, age and political party.

By Race:  Black Women are 74% dissatisfied by their treatment, while White Women are shown to be 47% dissatisfied with how society treats them.

By Age:  Women 18-49 years old were 58% dissatisfied by their treatment, 50+ years old were 48%.

By Political Party:  Democratic Women were 75% dissatisfied by their treatment, Independent Women tabulated at 57%, Republican Women were only 19% dissatisfied! This statistic surprises me the most. Maybe many Republican women became Independents (just my theory).

Lots of numbers here, but the main takeaway is that women are more dissatisfied with their treatment by society as the years go by. Probably because they become more enlightened about their value to society.

In January 2019, the Gallup Poll showed a slight improvement by women in their satisfaction scores, after record lows in 2018.

IMO, is it any wonder that women are dissatisfied since the Senate still refuses to bring up the Equal Pay for Equal Work for Women Bill to the floor. In 2019 women are still waiting for pay equality! And the VAWA (Violence Against Women's Act) still hasn't been passed in over a year +!

Just recently Virginia became the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment. More about the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) in a future blog post.

What do you think? Are you more satisfied or dissatisfied with the way you are treated by society? You can help by contacting your Senator and demanding they tell Mitch McConnell of the Senate to bring the 2 Bills above to the floor for a vote. And encourage more smart women to run for office (for the House, Senate and President!). Numbers count. Read the full article by newsgallup here.

And here are some sites to visit for words of empowerment and inspiration that may be of help to you:

knowyourvalue.com

supermajority.com

And to read some of my other blog posts about women's issues:  Women In Art, Where Are They?  Diversity...Do You Treat All People Equally?   What Is Your Harassment Story? 

Just loved this meaning by Dan Harris - learning to respond wisely to things happening to you.

He expanded by explaining that it was the ability to know what is happening in your mind at any moment and not reacting to it!

I listened to his You Tube podcast on “Mindfulness” this week. And it got me wondering how you use mindfulness in your dealings with life happenings in your day to day encounters.

Harris went on to give some simple examples like your reaction to the person cutting you off in traffic or what drives me crazy, sitting in slow moving traffic. Then I get irritated and start talking to the trucks and cars that block my sightline.

Harris’s suggestion for calming yourself and coming to terms eventually with your response to events in your world is meditation.

His younger self thought differently about the origins and purpose of meditation. But he has changed his opinion later in life once he found out how meditation has changed his response to happenings in his life.

He qualified that meditation is not a cure all for all reactions, especially very large events in our lives, but a stepping stone to dealing with some of our reactions.

Do you meditate?

I have to admit that I don’t meditate even though I have tried it out repeatedly. In my defense, painting puts me in a meditative state while I am in the zone as I call it. So maybe that is why I have a difficult time keeping it up by doing it by itself.

That is what happens to me when putting my feelings in my art paintings about important happenings that I have little control over, like some social issues. It is my solution for venting and coming to terms with my responses to the bigger happenings in the world. And for the viewers and owners of those paintings, creating a voice that speaks to them and settles them down.

As you know from my previous posts, ART has proven health powers to heal. 

Because it allows your brain and heart to stop and examine your reactions, the style, the textures, the movement and whatever else it represents to make you feel the way you do while viewing it. And if it speaks to you, it gives you the feeling and satisfaction that you are living your truth whatever that may be. And that there are others who feel the same truth as you do. There is something to be said about validating your truth and your authentic self with others of similar beliefs. 

These paintings serve a dual purpose. One, they are visually stimulating and give you a feeling of happiness when viewing them, as I am told. And they also are able to promote a positive dialogue with another person if that is your wish. 

Possible Outcome:

That is better than shouting at people bringing the news that stresses me out. And if meditation can help with our reactions to events, why not try it? While I learn somewhat to respond wisely to the big events by painting, I still need to learn to alter my response to the little things like trucks and cars! What do you do to respond wisely? 

Do you try to be mindful by examining your reactions to what is bothersome to you? Do you meditate? And if so, what does it do for you. Don't forget that this affects your health and is important.

Listen to Dan Harris's mindful podcast and let me know what you think.