The Vatican newspaper says that perhaps the washing machine did more to liberate women in the 20th century than the pill or the right to work. This newspaper article really got me to thinking: how in the world can this be true? I can think of a few items, events, and inventions that could possibly be considered the most Liberating thing that Women experienced in the 20th century.
Let me first address a possible reason why this newspaper mentions Washing Machines. If washing machines did anything for women it was probably free up a shit load of time. Laundry has come a long way from washboards, clotheslines, and irons that could only be heated by an open fire. But would you really consider a time saving invention a liberating item for women? You can make the same argument with TV diners, frozen vegetables, and microwaves. I'm sure if the washing machine was never invented, Women would still be pretty much still be liberated in this country, there would just be a whole lot of domestic disputes over who's turn is was to do the laundry.
Consider the Birth Control Pill. Trust me, this gave women the final say in the "power of conception," but when you really think about it, this was probably more liberating for men than women. No offense to children or anything (fuck, they shouldn't be reading this anyway) but what could be more "Un-liberating" than the general task of parenthood? I bet the pill seriously reduced the number of Single Mothers and Would-Be Dead Beat Dads. I bet it sucks being a single mother and dead beat dads...well they just suck.
Consider World War II. This was the golden opportunity for women to step up to the plate and say "Hey, Fellas, we'll hold down the Fort while you are off to war," and that's what they did. They had a chance work and hold positions that were formerly unavailable to them. We are talking factories, offices, and even military positions opened up and the Women workforce was never looked at the same again afterwards.
You can't consider Women's Sufferage (the right to vote) a huge milestone. The 19th Amendment wasn't ratified until the 1920's and back then, no matter who they voted for, the president would most likely be a male chauvanist. I think of chauvinism a lot like racism: it may not be as bad as it was, but it will always exist.
Hey: What do Veggie Burgers and Dildos have in common? They are both substitutes for real meat. All jokes aside, let's please consider the Dildo. Ok one more joke: What do Dildos and Men have in common? They both could care less whether or not she enjoyed it. Ok...no seriously, I'm not sure when it was "officially" invented, but if it was in the 20th century, I'm pretty sure it would be a shoe-in for the award of Most Liberating Thing to Happen to Women in the 20th Century. Sexual Liberation is often overlooked but should be just as much as a factor as Financial liberation (Oprah Winfey), Social liberation (Ellen DeGeneres), Judicial liberation (Judge Judy), Economical liberation (Suze Orman) or Political liberation (Hillary Clinton).