Women’s Culture Isn’t Inherently Progressive

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Back in school, I found an old book from the 70s: first-person stories from the women’s liberation movement. In it, a radical feminist activist confessed that she wasn’t entirely sure whether she really wanted women and men to be equal. Since she saw little reason to give men the benefit of the doubt, she wondered if a flat-out matriarchy wouldn’t actually be a better goal. But in practice, her ambivalence didn’t matter. Whichever endgame she preferred, in a male-dominated society the first step was to advance the interests of women. With so far to go on the road to either, what difference did the eventual destination even make?

Half a century of incremental progress later, though, the stakes have changed. In my experience, feminism can just as easily slip into the idea that women (and their culture) are Good while men (and their norms) are Bad. That gets you thinkpieces arguing that it’s sexist to dismiss astrology, but no corresponding feminist backlash against calling football dumb. If it’s associated with women, it must be inherently progressive. Therefore, feminists must defend it — no matter how solid a specific point the critics might have. (If I’m skeptical of astrology, must it be because I hate other women and want to be Not Like Other Girls? What if it’s just because constellations have nothing to do with personality?)