If you feel inclined to adding your two cents worth to a debate then there are currently some absolutely fascinating discussions testing ‘the personal is political’ in feminism going on around blogs. Even if you’re not up to taking part in the debate, got a nappy to change or something then you may still find it very interesting to read everyone else’s views.
Here is one on marriage - can you be a feminist and happily married?
And check out this discussion here, again on feminist marriage but from a different, (possibly) younger perspective.
Hoyden about Town have also weighed in on the discussion with, as usual a very thoughtful perspective.
Here is another on hired help - can you be a feminist and hire people to do your domestic labour?
And here is another (two, no wait, three) - can you be an attachment parent and a feminist and what are the challenges in doing so? This one particularly gets me thinking.
These are like going to a really thought-provoking conference with fantastic speakers but from the comfort of your desk.
Your posts have been very thought provoking, I am enjoying them immensely. I have not followed all the links yet but I will.
I, for one, am very happily married to a man and I am a staunch feminist. I am not a person who feels tied to anyone else’s definitions of much, so perhaps that is why I do not feel conflicted about my identity within the traditionally-defined institution of marriage. Perhaps it is because I can be identified as bisexual, and it is just as possible that I could married to a woman right now, that I do not give much thought to marriage being in conflict with my feminism at all. Yes, I thought it was kind of dumb that it was important to Huz that I add his last name to mine, but I have requested some things of him in our partnership, as well. It is definitely dumb that his name has somehow become listed as the first one on our mortgage (the bank made some infuriating assumptions) although I am just as much a legal owner of our home. Because of things like this, I have found that both marriage and motherhood have made me a stronger feminist; not just because my temper is being more sorely tested by society’s norms related to the roles of wife and mother, but also because the everyday experiences these roles bring has exponentially increased my strength as a person.
Oh yeah, and I am an attachment parent and indeed, still a feminist.