Despite not being constitutionally eligible to seek the office of President of the United States, Alexander Arefyev, the coach of the Russian men’s ski jumping team, staked out a position that would certainly give him a claim on the nomination. Explaining his opposition to women’s ski jumping, an event being added to the Olympic program for the first time this year, Arefyev said:
“I admit, I do not advocate women’s ski jumping,” he said in Russian. “It is quite heavy and traumatic sport. If a man were seriously injured, it is not fatal, but for all women may end up far worse. If I had a daughter, never would give in jumping – it’s too hard work. Women have a different purpose – to have children, do housework, to create a family home. (emphasis my own)“
I guess that means women should be off to pop out the babies, cook dinner, wash the dishes and clean the floor? Given the high level of social conservatism in Russia, is it any surprise that he would feel so free to make this statement about women’s “different purpose,” by which it’s really meant that women shouldn’t stray from their “proper place?”
I don’t know about what other people might think, but that sounds a lot like what many Republicans would like given the degree to which they want to regulate women’s bodies. The only difference is that very few of them are that explicit about it. And if a Republican candidate was explicit about it, I sadly have no doubt that he would immediately shoot to the top of the polls for saying what so many were already thinking.
They’re all wrong about the fact that a woman’s place is in the house. Nope, a woman’s place is in the House (and, hopefully come 2016, the White House too).
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