Laird’s article asks the question of whether ritual is something that is equally accessible to men and women. It really is an interesting question and one that I had not necessarily thought of or even would have recognized to think about. Laird being a family therapist leans more heavily on the rituals within family life and the attempt at trying to define them. She sees a lack of ritualistic meaning for women and a lack of inclusion in family rituals. For example the women in a stereotypical household though out history is the caregiver, the one who takes care of the home and the children. Now let’s look at a stereotypical family dinner. It is a ritual that takes place every night or once a week, it includes the family sitting together and eating together. This undoubtedly serves the function of bringing this group closer together, for a moment in time removes them from the daily “hub-ub” and deary-ness, and allows them to connect on a different level. But let’s examine this ritual a bit closer. For the entire time before this stereotypical dinner, where is the female? - in the kitchen (probably alone, cooking). During the meal, where is the female? - bringing out the food, making sure desert doesn’t burn, making something different for the young child in the family etc. At the end of the meal - probably in the kitchen cleaning, alone. Now this may seem too stereotypical, negative, anti-feminist, but let’s face it, it is the traditional stereotype of nuclear family households (or at least it was for much of history). It only goes to support the notion that ritual is not equally accessible to women as is men. Because for the entire ritual that is supposed to include the entire family, that is an opportunity and time of coming closer together and bonding; the women is left out. Further back in history when women were blatantly not allowed to part take in various rituals we can see it more obviously, but coming a little closer to the present time, we can still see how women are made to be subservient to men. But why??? Why do women (although we have fought back and demanded to be included and have succeed in leaps and bounds) still succumb to these prescriptions? Maybe some fear the self-inclusion will alter the ritual in some negative way. Well I have to say many mothers have changed it and from personal experience I say it only makes it stronger and more worth-while.