What has feminism done for you lately?

I was tagged by Scout at Harper-Valley blog to post today on the topic of "5 Things Feminism Has Done For Me", so here goes:

1. Education. I'm currently completing a PhD in geography - a discipline which is still hugely lopsided in terms of male faculty. My research is qualitative; in large part informed by feminism. I work in the subdiscipline of cultural-historical geography with focus on femininities and masculinities and their evolutions through space and time, as specific to place. My doctoral committee happens to be all-female, which is a first-time experience for each of the members. My work is very currently feminist in that it does not look at gender in terms of only women's experiences. It examines men's experiences, as well as all the accompanying intersections in the web of race, class, and (dis)ability, etc. This is one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of feminism today - the fact that the very nature of feminism is, in fact, INCLUSIVE. Our work contests exclusion of any sort.

2. Reproductive Choice. I was able to choose when and how many children I would have. I'm blessed with four. I'm able, through the example of my own life, to teach them the values inherent in inclusivity, tolerance, curiosity and a hunger to learn how this world can be made better by individual efforts.

3. Choice of work. I stayed home to be a full-time mother while my two oldest children were younger. I then taught high school full time until returning to continue my education. Childcare is available to me. I've had so many choices, and my decisions at various stages have been accepted by my family and society. My vote and political activism can influence this society.

4. My life. I was adopted, and am extremely grateful to know that although my maternal biological grandparents offered to raise me, my birth mother ultimately made the choice of adoption for me. She was not coerced; she made her own decision and I think it was the right one. Not without its baggage, adoption, but the knowledge that my birth mother had agency makes the baggage that much lighter for both of us. She had choices. She was rejected as 'marriage material' by my birth father and his family because she is native. She went on to have a good and fulfilling life with a professional career, and eventually - once I found her - rich relationships with my children and me. She made her own choices and landed on her feet, to say the least. She was never cowardly. She is a true warrior. My adoptive mother (my mother) made me see I could do anything. These two women inspire me!!!

5. My partner. My partner is as strong a feminist as one can get, my best friend, confidante, strongest supporter, and the kind of father anyone would wish they had. He instills the sense of possibilities and promise to our two girls and two boys that should rightly be there. He's fair and respectful and gentle and encouraging. I'd accept no less, and neither would he of me. Raised in another age, another place, he would not be who he is, and I would not be who I am.

What has feminism done for you?