While I cannot begin to summarize all the fascinating discussion, the discourse drastically changed my view of feminism and its goals, particularly in relation to "gender equality."
When discussing the definition and goals of "feminism," several panelists in the How to Be a Feminist discussion pushed back against the idea of gender equality as the primary or ultimate goal of their movement.
First, several of the women argued that equality is a slippery term. Equal to what or whom? Affluent white males? Is that really the best objective? The more I thought about it, the more I agreed.
Second, the women argued that equality goals have not gotten us (women, minorities, the LGBT community, the disabled) very far over the last few decades since they continue to operate within a system that benefits affluent (heterosexual) white males. This made a lot of sense in relation to my love-hate relationship with Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In campaign, which tells women how to operate within the patriarchal system despite mounting evidence that this does not work (see my previous post). Speaking up as a woman does not pay -- see the heartbreaking "What I Couldn't Say" videos -- and it never will if we continue to operate within a system that does not respect us.
Ultimately, the panelists argued that we should change the feminist narrative from one of equality to one of liberation. We should stop trying to succeed within the patriarchal system and instead aim to dismantle systems of oppression and replace them with more supportive systems. "Liberation" sounded dangerously radical to me at first, but I have concluded that these women are correct. Why should I strive to claw tiny bits of respect from an oppressive system when I can build my own environment that meets my needs and goals? This is exactly what I proposed in my critique of Sandberg's Lean In!
"In the end, the real answer seems to be locate a supportive environment. In Sandberg's case, the supportive environment came from good workplaces, mentors, and life partners. Others have succeeded after building their own supportive environments . . . Finding or developing a supportive environment is not easy by any means, but it is much more likely to pay off than fretting over your communication strategies. It does involve personal initiative, but initiative that focuses on your needs (not someone else's "role model" path) and your environment . . ."So now I'm a "radical" feminist. Come Comrades! Down with Patriarchy!! Equality is Dead!!! Long Live the Liberation!!!!
All kidding aside, I am hopeful that this perspective can succeed. In a post-9-11 and post-Great Recession world, many people are realizing that "the system" doesn't work anymore. Many groups (Millennials especially) are turning to alternative lifestyles that meet their needs and goals, rather than ascribing to the patriarchal "ideal" of the 1950s. They might not know it, but they are liberating themselves from oppression, little by little, and maybe the tide will turn.
Smash the patriarchy!
ReplyDeleteI saw blurbs about some of these panels before, but I have not yet gotten around to checking them out. I look forward to them. They, and what you wrote, remind me of this quote I saw from Ellen Page:
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know why people are so reluctant to say they're feminists. Maybe some women just don't care. But how could it be any more obvious that we still live in a patriarchal world when feminism is a bad word?"
When explaining my new liberation philosophy to my spouse, I drew parallels with previous liberation movements.
ReplyDeleteConsider the serfs of late 19th and early 20th century Russia. Let’s tell those serfs equivalent recommendations that women are getting these days about working within the system.
* Raise awareness regarding your family’s lack of food, clothing, shelter, or any means of improving your lives.
* Make sure you have an active, visible presence at church and community gatherings.
* Negotiate with your feudal lord for more privileges.
* Recruit allies in the upper classes to champion your cause.
* Work hard and your efforts will be rewarded.
* You should be happy with what you have. There are people somewhere who are worse off than you.
This looks ridiculous. You could do the same for the civil rights movement, native peoples, the disabled, or almost any major liberation movement and it looks equally ridiculous. Why should the women’s movement be different?
Note: this is not a blanket argument that liberation is easy. Arguably, the Marxist, later Soviet, replacement system post-liberation wasn’t the best idea. There were many schisms in the civil rights movement. Liberation is hard, but that doesn’t mean we should perpetuate oppressive systems.
I took some time to watch the "What I Couldn't Say" and the "How to Be a Feminist" segments. Couple thoughts.
ReplyDelete1) I've have learned about a subgroup of women [Radical Feminists] who do not wish to include transgender women as part of the feminist movement. Many of the women on the panel were clear to not identify as such and I think it would be important for us to use terminology as to not be confused with a group we weren't intending to identify with.
2) I didn't quite understand the full effect of what you meant by "liberation" until I watched their explanations. In a sense: why strive for "equality" in a substandard environment when we could rebuild an entirely new equal structure?
I have never thought about this from such a perspective and I'll definitely have to think on it.
3) I am also intrigued by their notion that to be a feminist is to be an advocate. It is not enough to attain personal equality or success, but to also continue to speak about the injustice of others. I am wondering how this idea translated to the broader female community who already feels overwhelmed by their personal life.
4) I overall appreciated the examples brought by the women. As Jane Caro points out, white, middle class educated women tend not to be great examples of sexism due to their own privileges. However, I hope to use my "advantages" to be an advocate for those experiencing much more injustice.