The Sceptical Feminist (Rle Feminist Theory): A Philosophical Enquiry by Janet Radcliffe Richards

Author:Janet Radcliffe Richards [Richards, Janet Radcliffe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy, Reference, Political Science, Politics, General, Feminism
ISBN: 9781136194191
Google: O1H7eIVdoN8C
Goodreads: 17535224
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1980-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

8 Conclusion

If it is dangerously drastic to mount a direct attack on femininity in all its forms, but inadequate to attack only its causes, what should feminist policy on the subject of femininity be?

The answer seems to be to accept, in the first place, that the business of finding out what women and men are really like, and what kinds of social arrangement would make both happiest, is a slow and unending process. It is best, therefore, not to worry too much about such intractable issues, but to concentrate specifically on what is known beyond question to be bad. One such obviously bad thing is the fact that sex is still commonly taken into account when an action is approved or disapproved, and about which much has already been said. The other extremely important obvious evil is the fact that many of the deeply established conventions which distinguish the sexes do, by their very nature, tend to preserve women's inferior position. It is absolutely essential to identify which conventions come into this particular category, not because any woman should be forced to resist them, but because it is of the utmost importance for everyone to be able to recognize them and make choices on the basis of that understanding. Women who do choose them must at least understand what they are letting themselves in for. Feminists who want to preserve some cultural femininity must be able to make a reliable distinction between sexual traditions which can be allowed to pass gracefully, or even encouraged as part of a pride in being women, and which must be fought tooth and nail. And all feminists who are trying to alter social conventions must be able to justify their policies by explaining precisely where and why the present state of things is inimical to the fair treatment of women, so that they do not lay themselves open to public ridicule by attacking what does no harm, or appears to do no harm.

This is no easy matter. Some areas of danger are clear enough: all the mores which make it difficult or unacceptable for women to put themselves forward, take the initiative, prove men in the wrong, make sexual advances, speak forcefully, rescue men in broken down cars or become more professionally successful than their husbands and lovers are obvious feminist targets. Others, however, may present more problems. Those which undoubtedly have their historical roots in women's oppression may be entirely harmless now, at least in some contexts; others without such roots may have become dangerous. There are psychological as well as philosophical questions to be answered before judgment can be reached in most cases, and the whole area is one of the most important for feminist study.

The subject is one which will be continued in the next chapter, in a discussion of the status of women's traditional work. Meanwhile, however, it is probably worth suggesting by way of conclusion to this chapter that much of the heat might go out of the subject

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