Despite its different strands and groups, Feminism as a whole believes in the
equality of genders in every aspect of life, elimination of any kind of inequality
based on sex and protection of the interests of the marginalised sections of the
society through education and adequate opportunity.
Today, lets talk about quite a prominent part of this movement, namely
Radical Feminism. Radical Feminism arose out of second-wave Feminism in the
1970s alongside, but mutually exclusive from Socialist and Marxist Feminism. It
is radical insofar as it claims that the root of women’s oppression lies in the
biological realities of our bodies and seeks the liberation of women through
education and eradication of all social and cultural norms that enforce
women’s inferiority to men. Radical feminists further claim that the central
issue is the subordination of women by men within the private and political
spheres. According to them, women’s oppression persists not simply because
of the superiority associated with men, but because of the role women have
played historically in the nuclear family. While men headed off to work each
morning, women typically engaged in what is termed as social reproduction
such as the biological reproduction of children and the day-to-day chores of
doing laundry, feeding the family, getting children ready for school, and so on.
Even in recent decades, as women have entered the paid workforce, they have
still tended to be saddled with the “second shift", carrying out social
reproduction at home after they return from work. This whole concept,
namely Biological essentialism is condemned and protested against by the
Radical feminists. They opined that it’s the reproduction cycle which acts as a
tool for subjugating women. They raised a question against the very biological
roles of the two sexes and almost shook the very foundation of the male
dominated society.
Radical Feminism is often brought under scrutiny because of their radical
outlook towards the process of reproduction. It is often argued that men and
women have been made in unique ways, anatomically and are designed to
perform biological functions which are specific and different from each other.
This is how the society and the system works, such is the opinion.
Speaking of the 21st century, Biological essentialism still stand as a hindrance
before women getting to reach their full potential. Giving birth is a natural
process, and women do play a prominent role here helping in the way of
evolution. The society however tends to treat her nothing more than a
reproduction machine. Her worth within the family is valid only until she
conceives. Socialising a girl child into believing that her sole purpose in life is
attaining motherhood is one of the reasons behind the decaying society.
Since the feminist movements, women have somewhat got a better place in
the society. In most middle class families of the urban areas, education for a
girl child is being prioritised over marriage. Getting married or pregnant
necessarily doesn’t mean the end of her career, any longer. This progression,
however good a sign, is tinged with the evils of a patriarchal society.
For a clearer vision, lets look through certain examples. The society, still today,
is so harsh on working mothers. A working mother is expected to be a
multitasking machine, extremely skilled at juggling between her work and
home. The moment her child fails to perform well in their curriculum, the
working mother is labelled as an over achiever, who criminally puts her career
over her child. However, the child’s unsatisfactory performance at school is
never blamed upon the father. He is the man of the family, who needs to keep
his career in the forefront even if that means neglecting his own child. Our
society still puts the pressure of child rearing entirely on the mother without
even considering how much her work might mean to her. A working mother
she to overcompensate in some way or the other to the society since it has
been kind enough to let her work. Even on days when she isn’t working, it’s
never a holiday for the mother. Since she remains at home, everyone gets rest
while she goes on to make sure that everyone is comforted and fed. Till today,
domestic chores are considered primarily to be done by the women of the
house, while their spouses are supposed to ‘help’ in the chores. A spouse who
helps in preparing a meal, supports his wife’s working life, picks up the children
from school is worshipped by the society, while all of these are expected from
a fellow working woman.
In such a scenario, the predicament of a homemaker is nothing but worse. The
society bats an eye to her daily contribution to her house, and eventually to
the society. Her labour is not considered valid since it doesn’t add up to the
GDP. Even she has been socialised into thinking that since she doesn’t help the
family financially, all she does is sit at home and do ‘nothing’
The society seems to patronize a women’s labour by claiming her as a
multitasker. Such a tag naturally pushes one to strive towards perfection. A
fear of underperforming and losing her worth is instilled in every woman. The
hard work which she puts into juggling home and work is used to project her as
a superior being, whose every work oozes perfection.
However, this attempt isn’t a philanthropic one. Instead of considering woman
as a human, society enforces its unrealistic expectations on women claiming
that she can handle it all. But is that the case, really ? Perhaps not. After a long
day at work, a woman necessarily does not need to be all jolly, ready to get
into the kitchen and serve the family. She too gets tired and vulnerable, very
much in need of good rest, just like the man of the house. It’s not only the
mother whose duty it is to hold the family together. Narratives such as “she is
a mother, she doesn’t get tired" are not only toxic, but also approves
exploitation of so many women within the middle class households.
Feminism strives towards realising that Biological essentialism is not only
limited to reproduction. It’s a well planned mechanism developed by
Patriarchy, distinguishing man and woman on the basis of not only anatomy,
but also emotions and spheres of dominance. Neither the kitchen nor the
Parliament has a gender. Gender can’t decide one’s limits, work place and
credibility as a human being. Before pertaining to any gender, we are humans
first, and Feminism is all about treating all as humans, irrespective of their
genders.
- Madhubanti