Feminism undiluted.I am writing in response to the January cover story ("Redesigning women: Is the church's new feminism New feminism is a predominantly Catholic philosophy which emphasizes a belief in an integral complementarity of men and women, rather than the superiority of men over women or women over men. a good fit?") by Renee LaReau. The article highlights some of the more troublesome aspects of the "new feminism" for me. While it cozies itself up close to cultural feminism Cultural feminism is the ideology of a female nature or female essence reappropriated by feminists themselves in an effort to revalidate undervalued female attributes. (Alcoff, 1988). with talk of uplifting "women's work," recognizing the value of nurturing, and so forth, it diverges quickly because it is a feminism that was created by and for the maintenance of a patriarchal structure. Another troubling aspect is that many of the women who espouse the "new feminism" seem to have a very poor understanding of what feminism is and where it came from. Feminism is about equality between the sexes at its most rudimentary level. However, feminism has also always been tied up in giving women more choices about their lives and giving more respect to the work women have done and continue to do. For feminists, caring for children has always been as honorable as running for office, as long as each woman could make that choice for herself. Another "new feminist" who is interviewed for this article is quoted as saying: "Feminism was important then, but do we really still need to be talking about this stuff?." We need feminism because "this stuff" is still happening. As an advocate at a domestic violence shelter, I know it was the secular feminist movement that brought violence against women out of the home and into the national spotlight, and created domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers Rape crisis centers evolved in order to help victims of rape, sexual abuse, and other forms of sexual violence. Also referred to as Sexual Assault Centers, RCCs serve a number of purposes. . What these "new feminists" seem to forget when they deride de·ride tr.v. de·rid·ed, de·rid·ing, de·rides To speak of or treat with contemptuous mirth. See Synonyms at ridicule. [Latin d the secular feminist movement for some imaginary slight against the stay-at-home mom is that feminists are on the front line every day saving women's lives. Johanna Hatch Wait Park, Minn. The January cover story on the "new feminism" was well written, presenting various opinions. Being female in the Roman Church for over five decades, I have had positive and negative experiences, some of the most difficult when I taught in a seminary seminary Educational institution, usually for training in theology. In the U.S. the term was formerly also used to refer to institutions of higher learning for women, often teachers' colleges. . I think women have been penalized pe·nal·ize tr.v. pe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing, pe·nal·iz·es 1. To subject to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or official regulation. See Synonyms at punish. 2. for their gender. I rarely see or hear about women being part of decision processes in parishes or dioceses. There are many women who are ready and able to share their gifts. In my Bible I keep a quote attributed to Rebecca West Noun 1. Rebecca West - British writer (born in Ireland) (1892-1983) Cicily Isabel Fairfield, Dame Rebecca West, West that I like: "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." Karen Jans Gagel Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Delaware, Franklin, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 31,392 at the 2000 census. In 2006, the population was estimated to be 36,565[1], and Dublin continues to be one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Columbus. |
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