The Choices of Women in the "Pink Saris"

As modern women of the world we struggle with the decision to stay home with our children and make our career as a mom, or work in our chosen field, or both.  We are aware that many before us have sacrificed and suffered to give us these choices, and we know that if we were really with it, we would want to do both and be that super woman: corporate dragon slayer by day, have supper on the table by six and kids bathed and in bed by eight, only to pleasure our husbands and be in bed by ten.  Isn't that dreamy?  Isn't that what we are supposed to want; Everything?  We now have the opportunity to have everything so why not?  But I still hear the same discussions: women who want to chose their career over being a stay-at-home mom, but feel guilty that their children are being raised by strangers; or women who want to stay at home and raise their kids but feel they are letting down their sisters in the fight for equality.  Does being a stay at home mom mean turning your back on feminism?  I believe absolutely not.  We have fought for the right to chose without being scrutinized.  We have fought for the right to be respected as a mother and be valued as more than just a breeder with a broom.  Being a mom in honorable.  Going out everyday and bringing home the bacon to provide for your family is honorable.  We need to start being OK with our choices.  I know most of us still feel we have a lot to prove.  I know that we still have a fight on our hands.  I know there are a lot of people out there who don't see us as equals.  Anyway, I've been thinking about all this stuff for the last few days, and as I sit in my car I hear something that puts this into perspective.  As I listen to CBC radio I hear an interview with the women responsible for the new documentary "Pink Saris".  And I realize that our dilemmas are nothing compared to those of women in less progressive countries.  Ok so some people might sneer at a women for not being modern enough to want a career, big deal.  Women in India don't even bother going to the police when they are being raped by their fathers because no one will do anything about it.  They live in a country where justice for women is a nonexistent.  Justice is something that becomes the cause of a few well intentioned women with a media savvy leader.  And that is where the "Pink Saris" comes in.  That is the name of a gang of "vigilante" women who take justice into their own hands.  They go after the men who commit crimes against women.  And the women know that they won't get in trouble by the authorities because they are doing the jobs of the police.  It's brilliant!  These fearless women live in a society where being an opinionated, outspoken woman is not a popular choice, but they do it anyway. They do it because the women in their world need them to, and they don't care about the repercussions.  They do it because women need help and no one else is stepping up to the plate.  They do it because their society is letting women down.  It just makes me think of how far some countries and cultures need to come to catch up to where we are now.  We struggle with our choices as modern women, but we forget to be thankful that we have the choice.  We forget that a few sneers should mean nothing to us, because we are self-assured in our choices and that none of those decisions determine if we are good WOMEN.  We need to Embrace these decisions as empowerment.  The "Pink Saris" make decisions every time they take to the streets for women that need help.  And we make decisions every time we allow some one to make us feel bad for our choices.