The Cost of Reproducing

In an earlier post about the cost of temping, I talked about how paying for my own private health insurance was an expensive but necessary endeavor. I'm on a couple of maintenance medications and the cost of them without insurance was worth the policy.

One thing I did not touch on was the cost of being a woman, specifically a woman who gets pregnant. I currently have no intentions of reproducing in the immediate future but the numbers are intimidating since I do want children some day.

My private policy did not cover prenatal or postnatal care at all. Any and all maternity coverage I may have required would have required a separate policy, purchased before I was pregnant, or would have been 100% out of pocket.

When I found out my new job sponsored health insurance covers those cost, I got a little teary with relief. I think it tapped into my feminist values to know my job chose a policy that made sure that was taken care of. A staggering number of employers skimp as much as they possibly can on this kind of coverage.

The number of doctors visits recommended of an expectant mother is:

Monthly prior to 28 weeks
Ever 2 weeks for 28 to 36 weeks
Weekly after 36 weeks

Imagine how cost prohibitive that level of care would be with no or minimal insurance. In the information packet about the health insurance plan I'm looking at, it provides a sample cost scenario of having a baby. This is just for giving birth with no serious complications.

As I've said before, I have no intention of reproducing for the foreseeable future but for a lot of women in America, this is a harsh reality. One trip to the ER can be enough to put a family struggling financially over the edge. 

When a friend of mine asked how expensive can The Pill be, I showed him that my insurance saved me about $70 a month and that was for a generic medication. Watch the Buzzfeed video I linked if you have any other silly questions about the matter.

Most of the people pulling the strings in corporate are men who have no interest in understanding numbers like these. Having a uterus should not be a preexisting condition. Women deserve equal health insurance options to men.

Rock Out

BuzzFeed had this bit of fun where the internet randomly generates your band name, album title, and cover art.

My band is: Street Fighter Alpha
I totally sound like the latest alt-rock band that will try to generate buzz by releasing a free single on iTunes. I hope we at least have a little edge with a name like that.

Our album title is: Change and All the Patterns Alter
As if there was any doubt to our alt-rock nature. We'll have thoughtful lyrics but our singles will be either be bouncy or rock out and catchy as hell.

Our debut album:

See It To Believe It

I was poking around BuzzFeed in between searching the world for job postings (CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, and sent a follow up email for another job I applied for. So there.) They had two videos about unemployment. 

One was alarmingly depressing facts considering I’m with half a dozen staffing agencies and I’m still just getting radio silence on all of those fronts.

The other one had actors demonstrating what is basically my life right now. So much truth.

Music: Never Had by Oscar Isaac

Bad Feminist Buzz

I normally really enjoy BuzzFeed articles but today I’m both disappointed and ashamed. Everyone enjoys those silly quizzes or random lists. Everyone loves a good gif but I’m not sure how much more time I want to spend on their website after they debuted the Are You a Bad Feminist quiz.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing make-up, reading magazines, or liking Beyonce. Beyonce is a strong woman and has done a better job than most pop stars *cough*Kelly Clarkson’s a hypocrite*cough* at admitting she is a feminist. There is no shortage of ways to be a feminist and other feminists don’t have to like or agree about all the minutae.

If you’re wearing make-up and reading magazines and emulating the Kardashians, you need to look at why. What’s your motivation? Is it because you want other people to find you pretty? Is it because you like your overall look better when you highlight your cheekbones and tweeze your eye brows? Is this because you genuinely want to or because you think you’re supposed to?

I gave up on Marie Claire when someone said Mike and Molly wasn’t worth watching because ‘fat people making out is gross.’ There’s also an insane amount of advertising in all women’s and fashion magazines. Look at the images. What are the ads showing you? (Other than a woman with no pores. Seriously, try to find one.)

Even if you don’t want to follow Everyday Sexism on Twitter, you should still read it. Not Buying It is a great app to promote media literacy. You don’t have to make these the center of your social media but you shouldn’t be ignorant of what they’re saying. Ignorance is a powerful tool in manipulation and never serves the ignorant. (I’m looking at you Lily the-hard-part-is-over Allen).

I believe in 2 definitions of feminism. The traditional both genders are entitled to the same rights and opportunities and Caitlin Moran’s definition. Check your pants. Is there a vagina? Would you like to be in charge of it? Congrats, you’re a feminist. That’s it. You can crank Single Ladies, wear fancy nail art, vote for Hillary, and still be a feminist.

A bad feminist is one who excludes and openly judges. A bad feminist perpetuates negative stereotypes while talking about the ‘power of women.’ A bad and ignorant feminist thinks the only kind are radical academics and not every day women. 

Are you a bad feminist BuzzFeed? Yes, yes you are.

Music: Suffragette by Nina Gordon 

Update: I think they felt some backlash because this quiz was up the next day.