The ather day I saw a small article in one of the csily papers about Mme, Ky of South Vistnam and line. Binh of the National na id on Front, both of whom are involved in the Paris Peace nepotiations, The writer felt the t it was a pity that the two were separated by "ideology" and td that the talks would probably go better if they met each other as "mere women" to discuss the issues involved over a cup of tea! fit. the time of the Ford's Women's strike, there was a senersl sigh of relief when it was reported that Mrs. Castle had settled the mtter "woman to woman" over a cup of tea. The terrible sight of women organising themselves to fight for their richts had faded - to be replaced by the more familiar picture of women entrapped by their "femininity"; - women in general had been put back in their place - where they could be understood - and patronised, But why "mere women"? ‘Jhat are these feminine qualities that so handicap women in the "big world”: Mankind has developed as it has because men and women have the ability to labour and to participate toward the achievement of desired ends, They have thereby changed the world - and their relationships to each other, But, just as in a class society the socially desired ends have been perverted to the needs of the ruling class (in the cease of cepitalism, social production is geared to the making of profits for the omers of industry) so, in # class society too, many of the qualities possessed by humanity as a whole, heave been abrogated by men - they have become "masculine qualities". Women BAN to a greater or lesser extent, been driven to a secondary role ond excluded from meximm participation in the society. You could perhaps define "masculinity" in this sense, as the ability and desire to engage in the social activity of lebour, the ability to meke decisions and to assume. leadership etc. It does not simply mean the powor to attract and be attracted by womer, It follows from this then that the concept of "femininity" implies a dimimation of humenness - the woman is not thought to possess many of the qualities and drives that heve. made mankind what it is, Men and women complement each other not only. biologically but also it appears, socially (though this socisl division of ability and function is often seen as a basically biological division; male and female psychology sreas genstically determined as any physical sexual characteristic). Men are often seen. as ageressive, outgoing, more coldly logical; women are gentler, domesticated, intuitive, more bound up with home, children and "love" - creatures to be protected from the rough and tumble of political life,
But if this concept of "femininity" excludes the drives and abilities that are felt to belong to the male - what about those women who individually seek to participate more fully in the social and economic life of the country as the equals of men? Women like Margarct Hirst, who was asked on Woman's Hour recently how she managed to keep feminine whilst ruming the world's largest employment bureau, If women organise to fight for their collective rights they upset the general understanding of their role. ‘Surely if these women want to eneroach on traditionally male privileges they mst really want to be men perhaps they have too many male hermonas (I have even heard it suggested that the leaders of the suffragettes must have had lesbian tendencies! )- militant women can be understood if their "masculine" motivation and ambition can be explained by masculine biology. This understanding of the feminine role is accepted and emphasised by the mass media. Obviously women's magazines discuss
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with boys.
world of the comic
topics in which women are directly interested - baby care, fashion,
the exe
face and hair care etc, but why to
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cultural topics? Things that are of
their sole interest, Jftor ell men may be
- but nobody expects them only to be
The stories in these
whole life is depe
through men, The reader is
Mmigazines
currant events - not because she might be interes
but so that she will be able to talk
him, . She mst not only show herself
the modium of "love comics"
the insecurity that most young girls
awareness and appreciation boys have
herself in the hobbies of her Intest t
of the world is de
she is not a person in her own right
expected to adapt rirl's inter
unimportant,
should for
home or employment
defined future as a wife
her greatest fulfillment.
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for that m:
uare with the reality
f ter) » Women make up
their conditions of work and rates of
Women receive higher education and specialized training - although opportunities
in this respect are more limited then they are for men. Women, increa
tend to work both before and ofter rea
There is little point in
housewives now,
of women whose activities end outlook
sspecislly prepared for thi
any problems corne
The picture that these mazazines give ra