Gender Issues and Political Correctness

Résumé du document

"Gender? is too often addressed to "women? whereas in fact it refers to the relation between the two genders, masculine and feminine. Gender is defined as "a social construct? used to differentiate men and women from each other besides the biological factors (see lexicon). However, "gender issues? imply the idea of gender asymmetry, meaning the overall domination of men over women in society. If this is of course a generalization, it is no accident if women are absent (or strongly underrepresented) in the political and economic powers in most countries today, including in Western Europe. Adopting a "gender-perspective? therefore means questioning "male power? and trying to understand why and how our societies are shaped by the difference between the genders.

Extraits

[...] She describes what she calls women's “ethics of that is, their tendency to analyze moral problems in terms of care, attention to others, response to need, and the fact that they want to “avoid hurt” as much as possible. As for men, they use an “ethics of justice” that focuses more on abstract equality of rights and reciprocity. Even tough she admits many individual exceptions to the rules, she thinks the “women's voice” is not sufficiently heard, particularly on the political stage. Women's concern with care, peace, and response could lead to more non-violent politics. [...]

[...] We all build our expectations and ambitions on what we see. Because women are more often portrayed as models, literature professors, nurses, or secretaries, than ministers or taxi drivers then of course young girls wish to be models, nurses and so on. If we want to influence young girls' choices in their orientation to show them they have more possibilities than they think, it is necessary, not only to make the “exceptions” more visible, but also to use a gender- neutral language that either will adapt to reality (they are now many female doctors) or help promote changes (political functions). [...]

[...] Gender Issues and Political Correctness Introduction is too often thought to mean whereas in fact it refers to the relation between the two genders, masculine and feminine. Gender is defined as social construct” used to differentiate men and women from each other besides the biological factors (see lexicon). However, “gender issues” imply the idea of gender asymmetry, meaning the overall domination of men over women in society. If this is of course a generalization, it is no accident if women are absent (or strongly underrepresented) in the political and economic powers in most countries today, including in Western Europe. [...]

[...] Women should have a right to participate directly in their own names in the decision-making process and make the choices that affect their lives. The absence of women in parliaments in most European countries (with notable differences and the exception of the Nordic countries) in a time when most women work and are equally qualified constitutes a serious democratic deficit. Women are still silenced whereas they represent half of the population! The problem is that when female politicians are a small minority, they are not prone to speak for women's interests because they usually had to assimilate the “male norm” to get where they are, meaning they had to speak and behave according the traditional sexist codes of conduct of the political arena. [...]

[...] Oxford University Press (pages 120 to 143). [excellent summary of the issues developed in Part I of the presentation] Other works cited : John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor , the Subjection of Women (1869); Michael Walzer, Sphere of Justice (1983); Simone de Beauvoir, the Second Sex (1949); Friedrich Engels, The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884); Charlotte Bunch, Learning Our Way: Essays in Feminist Education (1983); Jeff Hearn, ed. Men, Masculinity and Sexual Theory (1990). [...]