Feminism: The Freedom to Make Bad Choices The true liberation of women Justin Hartfield
Freedom, in its rawest form, is the ability to make incorrect choices. The barometer to measure the degree of freedom for a society is the permissiveness of its government's stand on issues which deal with the rights of an individual. More options available for a citizen (without government restriction) imply more personal liberty. A government should strive to provide its populace with the minimum amount of laws possible which would impede those personal freedoms.
Our government is struggling with balancing individual liberty and preventing its citizens from unnecessary harm. Should the government continue to take away choices which are seemingly wrong (such as drugs) or should they allow freedom of its citizens to make these seemingly incorrect decisions? It is not an easy decision by any means, but it is clear that the alternative to allowing societal vices would be to banish the very thing which all humans have in common, namely fallibility. Obviously, I'm not Catholic.
So it is for this reason that although the Prometheus Institute has many, many values which differ from that of the Feminist movement, we support its intentions.
The Feminist movement, as a movement, has a noble aim. Any group who believes they are being denied their fundamental freedoms, and has the willingness to stand firm in the face of the masses of naysayers, deserves respect. They are attempting to expand the protections of the law and improve the public perception of women by challenging the idea of traditional gender roles. Competing ideas are the lifeblood of good government.
Indeed, not only are the Feminists introducing a competing philosophies, they seem to be introducing an entire different reality than my own. The Feminists view the world from a standpoint of Male dominance. The Male is viewed as a tyrant, driven by unconscious psychological insecurities like "womb-control." The Female is the enslaved, exploited by 'societal conventions' which force women to choose between a family or a successful career. Males are obstacles which actively impact the Females desire to live a life outside of her husband. Males must be managed and bargained with in order for the Feminine to become free of her penile oppressors.
My reality however, is quite different. I see women with exceedingly more power than most Feminists give them credit for. It is no secret that women are the in drivers seat when it comes to mating. Not only are they driving the car, they own the lot and the dealership which the car originated. Men will always have something which only a woman can provide them. Thus it is the woman who has the proverbial glass slipper when it comes to relationships. So not only does a woman choose her mate, even if she makes the wrong decision she is entitled to half of the earnings of the husband, alimony, child-support, and gets to keep the children. The Feminists though, are still not content. They shrug the notion of having more than equal footing in terms of the law in cases of divorce. They are more concerned with success in the business world.
Although many women find completeness through providing love and care for their family and offspring, the Feminists feel that women are treated unfairly because they are under represented in the corporate world. This is where the Feminists get it wrong.
Feminists are viewing success on masculine terms. Not only do they want to raise happy and successful offspring, but they also want the prestige and money that comes from having a high paying job in the corporate world. However, succeeding in the market requires too many hours to simultaneously raise a happy, well-adjusted child.
Men, knowing that their time can only be spread so thin between work and family, make no attempt to try to have it both ways. They know that it is impossible to maintain both without the sacrifice of the other. Therefore they marry a female who would prefer to stay at home and raise their children.
This is not to say that I believe all females should sacrifice their own careers for their families' expense. What I am saying, though, is that raising a well-adjusted child requires a full-time (or at least daily) commitment. That commitment can come from either sex, but it is a commitment nonetheless. It is my own personal view that women are by nature more nurturing and compassionate than males and thus make better parents.
While the Feminists intentions are good, they deny the true nature of the Feminine. I do not disagree that females should be equal to males under the law. However, it is an entirely different matter for females to act like men and expect some sort of enlightenment. A woman can be feminine yet equal, without having to succeed on male terms. A fully realized, wholly liberated woman is one who is completely happy with the awesome power invested in her as a woman.
More on the subject of women's issues: The Feminist Manifesto How and why to rescue feminism from the Left
