Feminism

Feminism can be defined as a philosophical belief that women and men are, and have been, treated differently by our society, and that women have frequently and systematically been unable to participate fully in all social institutions.

There was a period in my life when I had many feministic views. Perhaps too many views and perhaps they were too feministic. However, it wasn’t anything like: ‘Oh, I am a woman and I don’t like men’ but more of ‘I am a woman but it doesn’t make any difference’

But it was years ago- which doesn’t mean I don’t think this way anymore. I do, indeed, but in less strong and more rational way, because as we know, the way women are treated by our society has been changing over time. There are very little areas in the society where men and women are treated differently. For example, for one of my A levels exams I had to research how differently are sportsmen and sportswomen treated by the media. The media tend to focus on women’s appearances rather than their strength, whereas men are usually presented as strong, active athletes representing muscularity.

Mary Wollstonecraft was called the "first feminist" or "mother of feminism". Her book “Vindication of the rights of women” (1792) is about women's rights, especially women's education, which as she argues is an answer to everything.

A Vindication anticipates many of modem feminism's themes, such as the power of sex, the perils of beauty and the dangerous nature of sexuality. Wollstonecraft makes it clear that society’s views of women need reinterpretation by stating from the beginning of her Vindication that “In the present state of society it appears necessary to go back to first principles in search of the most simple truths, and to dispute with some prevailing prejudice every inch of ground”. Wollstonecraft explores each part of her argument logically and judiciously while pointing out the flaws of sexual politics and feminist virtue in eighteenth-century society.

She refers a lot to men’s domination and women’s weakness by calling them ‘slaves’. Two things that divide two sexes are ‘muscularity’ and ‘appearances’. Men are strong therefore they can control women, but women can achieve something by their ‘beauty’s power’ which attract eyes. ‘A king is always a king’- powerful and dominating, whereas ‘woman always a woman’- who is either a slave or a queen. I think Wollstonecraft’s such powerful views may have been influenced by her childhood experience, when she lived with her drunken and violent father. A desire to achieve more than this drove her to the world of education and philosophy, as she believed that it is possible for women to become more masculine and take power over their minds, beings and souls rather than having them corrupted by men. Taking control over ones desires in marriage is one way to become an independent, strong, contributing women in society. Wollstonecraft also argues that educating women will strengthen the marriage relationship. Her concept of marriage underlies this argument. A stable marriage, she believes, is a partnership between a husband and a wife. A woman thus needs to have equal knowledge and sense, to maintain the partnership.

It was quite a long reading, but I really do enjoy talking about subjects like this one. Perhaps because it involves me in some way?