As International Women’s Day approaches, we remember the milestones in our quest for equality. We think of things like the 19th Amendment, the ability to work outside the home, reproductive freedoms, and Title IX.

But we should also take some time to thank the washing machine, according to the Vatican.

The washing machine has had a greater liberating role for women than the pill, the official Vatican daily said in an International Women’s Day commentary.

“The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax,” said the headline on the article in Osservatore Romano.

“In the 20th cenutry, what contributed most to the emancipation of western women?” questioned the article.

“The debate is still open. Some say it was the pill, others the liberalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. Others go even further: the washing machine,” it added.

The long eulogy to the washing machine - for which the first rudimentary models appeared in the 18th century - highlighted “the sublime mystique to being able to ‘change the sheets on the beds twice a week instead of once’,” quoting the words of late American feminist Betty Friedan.

While the machines were at first unreliable, technology has developed so quickly that now there is “the image of the super woman, smiling, made up and radiant among the appliances of her house”, wrote Osservatore.

That’s a good point.  Who cares about the right to vote when I can do the laundry AND have my lipstick on by the time my husband gets home?

Thanks, Maytag!

The ever-thoughtful Sandra Bernhard delivered a bitter, hot-button-laden rant about Sarah Palin last month, haranguing Palin on her religious beliefs and assailing her intelligence. She also expressed a desire for Palin to be “gang-raped by my big black brothers” if she visited New York.

Here’s a link to some of the other stuff Bernhard said about Palin.

So let’s see: in one bit she’s offensive in terms of religion, race AND gender. Way to go, Sandra. Of course she has the right to do this, and people who want to hear it can happily pay their money to hear it. But she has to be willing to accept that there might be fallout.

The result was that she was removed from the list of speakers to appear at a homeless women’s shelter luncheon called “Funny Women … Serious Business.”, for what I consider obvious reasons. Homeless women, for a variety of reasons, are even more likely to be sexually assaulted than other women. Clearly, someone who idly (or not idly, which is worse) wishes rape on someone should not be showcased at a homeless women advocacy event.

Update: Today, Sandra claims she was taken out of context and unfairly characterized:

In a statement Wednesday, Bernhard said the decision by Rosie’s Place was based on a misleading account of what she said, and her words were taken out of context.

…

“In no way am I making any sort of joke about crimes against women — quite the contrary. I’m speaking out about someone who doesn’t do enough to protect women,” Bernhard said. “I think if you look at the real issues I’m addressing, my intent becomes clear. I am a die-hard advocate for women’s rights, and fully support the work of Rosie’s Place.”

Sorry, Sandra, but I can see how other advocates of women’s rights might be alarmed by your behavior. Using a joke that encourages violence against women as a tool in advocating for women? Not a good strategy, nor a defensible one.