BSG and Gender Roles: so what happens when they get to Earth?

[Trek_Girl42]

Scary thought that was running around in my brain. One of the best things about Battlestar Galactica is the depiction of absolute gender equality.

However, I have to wonder if it can last.

Lets say the fleet gets to Earth and there's enough of a population left to rebuild the human race. As Simon mentioned to Starbuck in "The Farm" the most valuable commodity the human race has is healthy women of childbearing age- more valuable than viper pilots. So what happens to say, all women under the age of 45 with healthy ovaries once they reach Earth? Will societal pressure build against them to settle down and have children? What happens to the ones who don't want to have children! Or lesbians? Or those who just don't want to have sex or can't find the right guy that they want to have children with? What happens to teen girls (say 16 and older)? Will they be pressured to start having children at a young age?

The bare facts are that if the human race doesn't start having children in vast quantities, they're extinct, and that frightening thing is that everyone knows that. It's an issue that has obviously been biding it's time in the show because in the fleet is not the ideal place to start addressing this, but as soon as they are out of these ships and down on the ground, and especially as that population count dwindles lower. If they settle on earth for the first few years things might be alright, but once the population starts to age, panic will ensue, and suddenly all value for women will go straight to those who have children. Preferably several. Female viper pilots? Nope, no use there. Working women in government/whatever infrastructure they establish who don't have time to have children? Nope, no use there. Men can do those jobs and be fathers!

We already saw Roslin ban abortion (anyone know if it still is banned? Baltar presumably de-banned it.....), and I have to wonder if that's the first step of a society devolving to a place where women are absolutely pressured and persecuted by other men and women to abandon their jobs, etc. and just start having children- a value that will then pass on to the next generation and so on. We're looking at a society that could potentially turn into what we've been for the last several thousand years. A society that looks at women as mothers first, and everything else is secondary/unimportant. If everyone had been settled on New Caprica for more than a year, this very well could have happened there.

Ironic that Adama's dark humour from the mini "They'd better start making babies", could become a line that tears down everything in terms of equality that the colonial society has achieved.

Any other thoughts on this? I absolutely hate to think of this, but knowing how human beings are, is there any other way for them to re-act? In times of crisis like this is equality optional?

Or am I just over thinking it?

Edit: not to mention if mothers/fathers don't stay home to look after the children, imagine the potential daycare crisis.....yet another reason to enforce women to stay home as mothers.

[Pic]

Daycare on board a battlestar. That pretty much sums up the state of affairs for me. Everyone knows what's at stake and accomodations are being made that might not have otherwise been made (like daycare on a battlestar).

Here's to hoping folks are just naturally wanting to procreate and that population isn't falling as drastically as it would've otherwise. I seem to recall somewhere near the end of s3 where the number increased slightly with no explanation that I could tell.

Having vague impressions of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" from your post. ....shivers....

[Trek_Girl42]

Daycare on board a battlestar. That pretty much sums up the state of affairs for me. Everyone knows what's at stake and accomodations are being made that might not have otherwise been made (like daycare on a battlestar).

Here's to hoping folks are just naturally wanting to procreate and that population isn't falling as drastically as it would've otherwise. I seem to recall somewhere near the end of s3 where the number increased slightly with no explanation that I could tell.

Having vague impressions of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" from your post. ....shivers....

Haven't read that book.....I have copy. But I haven't read it yet. Must do.

Of course many will naturally want to settle down and have children, but if the percentage that doesn't want to starts to become victimized for the fact, or perks are handed out to women who do give up their jobs to have children.....well, we're looking at a very slippery slope.

"It's not enough to survive, we have to be worthy of surviving" is the quote that comes back. So is survival worth the cost of leaping backwards in progress if that's what it comes to? Questions, questions.....

Of course this is all dependent on the fact that the cylons don't wipe them out first.

[Lady Snow]

Of course this is all dependent on the fact that the cylons don't wipe them out first.

Or unless they join with the rebellious Cylons and have babies with copies of Six (or Boomer or D'Anna).

[Youma]

You're definitely over thinking it. Animals don't breed in captivity, humans don't breed during a war, just look at the baby boom after ww2.

[Mefusta]

Any other thoughts on this? I absolutely hate to think of this, but knowing how human beings are, is there any other way for them to re-act? In times of crisis like this is equality optional?

The answer is, unfortunately, yes. When you get right down to it, gender equality is a luxury. When faced with a catastrophe as big as the population crisis affecting the Rag-tag Fleet, sacrifices need to be made.

Over the course of the evolution of Homo sapien, males and females have developed pre-defined roles within the species in terms of their tasks. Males are dominantly tasked as hunter-gatherers, while females are dominantly tasked to rear the kids and perpetuate the tribe. In times of crisis when the very existence of our species is under question, the most logical course of action would be to default to these primitive roles that served our ancestors so well as we emerged from our neolithic infancy. Wow, was that a load of bull**** or what!

Heck, the threat to gender equality should be the least of our worries. What you have to consider is that this is a group of people facing annihilation, and even the most cursory glance at human history shows how far a society will go to ensure its survival. Taking the most pessimistic view of the future of the Rag-tag Fleet on an unpopulated Earth, settlement will most likely start out with clear incentives for families and reproduction in general. As the situation worsens, incentives will probably bow out to more forceful measures, such as legally obligating all women to have at least one child. If things get truly bad, it's possible the remaining population may cross that line in the sand and turn to methods not unlike the Cylon "facilities" back on Caprica. Of course, that's only worst-case scenario, but even the most optimistic outlook reveals rocky times ahead for the Fleet.

Just as Roslin conceded that personal liberties must be sacrificed for the continued survival of the species, true gender equality may also need to take a back-seat in the fight to survive.

Or unless they join with the rebellious Cylons and have babies with copies of Six (or Boomer or D'Anna).

"Hmm, 198 billion babies in a few weeks. We'll need an army of super-virile men scoring round the clock! I'll do my part, Kiff, clear my schedule."

[Morbius]

been married twice, children both times, both my wives have been professionals.

it's not something they need to worry about, it's biological and will take care of itself.

I have known only 1 professional woman who was so attatched to her job that she wrestled with this the way its being depicted, while i've known dozens including two wives who saw it differently.

The women i've known in my life have not looked at it as "giving up or losing their career to stay home", actually it was harder for them to give up being home with the baby and go back to work.

I have to say i agree with them, i'd rather be home with my 9 month old than going to work any day of the week.

Really i don't think it would be an issue, biology will take over and all the progressive crap about free will, equality, nature vs nurture and all the high ideals would be out the window.

[X-3-0-2]

The new BSG suffers greatly from misandry, the males in the series act like treacherous leeches selling out humanity so they can shack up with a woman. Those who don't have hormones behave castrated wimps, its only the female leaders on the show like the mighty Roslin who show any backbone.

[Youma]

The new BSG suffers greatly from misandry, the males in the series act like treacherous leeches selling out humanity so they can shack up with a woman. Those who don't have hormones behave castrated wimps, its only the female leaders on the show like the mighty Roslin who show any backbone.

Congrats, you've completely missed the point of the show. Black and white (not racial) stereotypes exist in your head, not in real life, not in the show.

[DigiFluid]

Haven't read that book.....I have copy. But I haven't red it yet. Must do.

Oh most definitely. I had to read it for a class last year, and am very happy I did.

[DigiFluid]

Congrats, you've completely missed the point of the show. Black and white (not racial) stereotypes exist in your head, not in real life, not in the show.

Pay him no mind, he seems to get his jollies from trolling this board.

"Don't feed the trolls," and so on.