Response to Ashley Herzog's column Despite Feminist denial
sexes are wired differently:
I have always considered myself a feminist, without ever even thinking about the decision to become one, really. It made sense in my mind that I have access to the same civil rights, pay and opportunities in my life as men do in theirs. It wasn't until very recently I discovered that feminist is a dirty word in the minds of many.
In light of Ms. Herzog's recent rose-colored article, it seems imperative that this dirty word should be properly defined before I go any further. As Rebecca West said, People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat G? or a prostitute. It's not about burning bras, unisex bathrooms or protesting breastfeeding, as Ms. Herzog mentioned. Though there are radicals in every movement, the bulk of women are moderate feminist; they're certainly not asking to be returned to their position as second class citizens. I find it difficult to believe there exists a sizeable number of stolid anti-feminists out there.
In the aforementioned article, it is asserted that feminists are anti-science and will someday claim there are no biological differences between men and women. Like the infamous anti-feminist, Phyllis Schlafly, the article confuses the concepts of gender and sex. Gender refers to social constructs built around biological differences. Those biological differences are defined as sex. Sure, these genetic distinctions include differentiation in the way the brain functions, but that is not to say that women are less intelligent, nor less capable of math or sciences; it simply means that the brain is utilized differently to perform the same functions.
It is restrictive gender barriers in society, not elementary genetic structure, that a reasonable feminist rebels against. By giving women the right to vote, to drive, to equal rights, it is not equivalent to ignoring the biological anatomy of the female body. Ms. Herzog, like most other female university students, must appreciate her right to attend an institution of higher learning, to have her own job, to write for a newspaper, to wear pants G? Things women, even anti-feminists, take for granted. Things achieved against great resistance by ' you got it ' feminists.
Sarah Beeler is a sophomore history major.
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