<< feminism/sisterhood >>
2002-07-15 - 9:28 a.m.

Here's my feminist entry. I'll do another later, I guess. The question this week is:

"Is feminism also sisterhood?

Webster's dictionary defines it as solidarity of women based on shared conditions, experiences, or concerns. Feminism meets that definition to a degree; if nothing else, at least being women gives us some shared concerns and conditions.

Does that mean, then, that feminism equates to sisterhood among all feminists? Among all women? And if it does, how does that color your perspective of other women?"

And my answer:

I think this is a really good topic, and a hard question. I guess I'll fall back on the old cliche that "feminism is the radial notion that women are people." As rational human beings, I think women, including myself, deserve the respect of having their ideas taken seriously, which means having the right to be disagreed with. If that makes sense. You might sometimes agree with children when they're wrong just to shut them up, but not fully grown women.

I do believe, more than I used to (they try to beat it out of you in graduate school), that women really DO have at least a little starter set of shared concerns. I don't know if this equates to a "sisterhood," but it's something. On the other hand, I DO NOT believe that any choice a woman makes is feminist, just because she's a woman. (That's like saying that every decision I make is pro-white, because I'm a white person. It's silly.) That's why feminist education is so important--to empower women to make positive decisions, for themselves and for all women.

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