On the Pitfalls of Sitting on a Pedestal

In a class discussion a few weeks ago, the idea was posited that a
goal of feminism is for women to be seen as "equal to men, without
their flaws," and I respectfully disagree. I think putting women on a
pedestal this way is incredibly harmful to women's progress, and
manifests in so-called "benevolent sexism." An example that readily
comes to mind is the stereotype that "men are rational, women are
emotional," and the implications of that--essentially, in many places
it is considered an unspoken rule that women must give up their career
aspirations to stay home, supporting a man and raising their children.
Anyone who objects is "not a real woman," selfish, and neglecting
"the most important job in the world."
The truth is, American culture does not value childrearing. We do not
think it is important, although we all pretend to. Caregivers, whether
they are nannies, school teachers, or housewives, receive pitiful
compensation across the board (Of course, housewives do not receive
financial compensation for their work. But in divorce situations, I
frequently hear of men thinking they are entitled to all/the vast
majority of the household income because their wives were unemployed,
seemingly without realizing that their wives' unemployment is
precisely the reason they were able to have said careers). The
embarrassing reality is in the year 2012, we have a significant pay
discrepancy between men and women, corrected for hours worked,
education, experience, and whether or not they have children. Meanwhile,
Republican politicians are desperately trying to pretend the wage gap
does not exist, while simultaneously repealing equal pay laws, sexual
harassment laws, attacking reproductive rights (the impetus for
women's entrance into the work force), and then claiming the War on
Women is a "fiction" akin to a "War on Caterpillars." The right
seems to want nothing as badly as women barefoot and pregnant in the
kitchen once again. Because the truth is, if our culture thought
childrearing was important, men would be doing it.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, aspiring for women to be seen
without flaws in to deny our inherent humanity. And saying that women
need to be flawless for feminism to be "achieved" or successful is
counterproductive. No one is flawless! If that is what we need to
achieve to be equal to men, we might as well just throw in the towel.