Re: “Feminists who can”

Interesting article...but I think one that does not have a clear understanding of feminism and consequently misnames this feeling of empowerment from DIY with feminism. Until just a few years ago, I baked bread, gardened and canned and cooked most of my food from scratch. I rendered lard, pasteurized and homogenized milk and made yogurt, cheese, butter, etc. I raised animals for food and bees for honey. I even tried tanning leather. I felt independent and capable, knowing that I could do whatever it took to survive. Forty years ago the term for returning to nature was "hippie" and "counterculterist", never feminist. I think using the term "feminism" for the article's described feelings of accomplishment for DIY is a misnomer.

I agree that some women can feel a sense of accomplishment, perhaps empowerment from DIY domesticity; but to really feel empowered as a feminist means having the right to vote (as we celebrate the 90th anniversary), having equal rights with men, having the right to die with dignity, having the right to basic health care, having equal pay for equal work, being able to own property (not be someone's property), having the means to survive without threat of harm; having the right to love and marry whoever one wants, etc.