GUEST COLUMNIST: Gender wars are still raging

Several people reacted the same way last week when I told them that I was attending the opening game of the New York Liberty: Why? And when I asked my friends if they were interested in going with me, all of them (huge Knicks fans, I might add) said they weren't interested in women's basketball. While I can understand some people were genuinely not interested in going to the game, I can't help but see a parallel between their attitudes toward the Women's National Basketball Association and society's attitude to women in general. It is basically an accepted fact today that women are equal to men in all different aspects of life, and women are increasingly earning respect in positions that had been held exclusivly by men 50 years ago. However, whenever a situation -- such as attendance at a WNBA game -- requires a person to actually show their support for women, many are reluctant. Of course, not everyone can be categorized in this manner, as the more than 12,000 fans at the Liberty game proved. And after more than 3,000 years of male-dominated history I cannot expect women to be considered completely equal after only the few hundred years of the feminist movement's existence. Due to these strides women have a better position in society today than ever before. Along with these advances, however, there are still many underlying problems. Women's salaries are lower then men's for the same work, and the number of women in top positions is considerably lower than the number of men. Some people still believe that "a woman's place is in the home" and, in the military, the debate rages over whether to send women into combat. Even women that have broken through to the top and have earned respect are not truly treated as equals. Both Oprah Winphrey and Rosie O'Donnell are successful in the entertainment industry, yet each of their shows has been placed -- by both men and women -- in the "women's shows"category. Compared with the mixed audiences that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brian attract, these two shows display an obvious lack of male audience members, even when they have the same guests as their male counterparts. All of these shows have guests ranging from musicians to athletes, from 7 year-old geniuses to people celebrating their 100th birthday. So why does Leno have mixed audiences while Oprah and Rosie seem to mainly attract women? What defines a woman's show? Is it simply one hosted by a woman? Then take the opposite of this argument: Why is a sports show hosted by men considered a "men's show," even if there are women reporters or broadcasters? The answer is simple: society supports a gender-separate community. Norms say that women have certain interests and should act this way, while men should hold different interests and act that way. A person who breaks the traditionally accepted mold and dares to say what they really like faces branding or labeling. Men who dislike sports and enjoy museums and operas tend to be considered -- again by both men and women -- effeminate. Women who want to be CEOs and enjoy going to football games can be labeled as aggressive, unfeminine or "one of the guys." Why is this attitude still accepted by both men and women? How can a society that has become sensitive to the individuality and equality of all races and ethnicities still justify this separation between men and women? Blame cannot be placed on men alone, nor on women alone. It is not the fault of Hollywood, the media or parents of elementary and high school students. It is something that can be blamed on every society member. It is also something that cannot be blamed on individual people, but on the overlying mindset of the community. Many women today have had encouragement and help their entire life and have achieved their goals regardless of their gender. Their accomplishments prove that women can be viewed as equal and successful in today's world. But the position of women in society is still very fragile. There are people who voice their support for women, while doing nothing to generate changes in society's attitudes. In many ways, gender equality is superficial. So women must continue to reach for their goals and prove that they can overcome obstacles in their way. It will take many more years for true equality to be reached. The time will come when there is support for a society that truly allows anyone to do, be or like whatever they choose. And women will find that they do have the support of everyone -- as long as they are not personally asked to attend the game.