Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Power of Women

In the past I've always worried that no matter how much "equality" women gain in society, it's always really just men "letting" them have it, almost patronizingly...because at the end of the day, if we had to, our physical strength combined is much greater than theirs, and if all the men in the world got together, we could easily "revoke" any and all womens' equality. Institutions and laws only work by using men against each other when we have some investment in it, but at the end of the day women are just always going to be at a collective disadvantage because of their lower physical strength; their "equality" is always tenuous that way. If it came down to an actual battle, we could always take back whatever concessions have been made to women, we simply have the sheer physical advantage.
 But now, I realized, the structural reality makes things much more complicated. I also realized that it is really only maternal love that has protected the human race from being entirely women-dominated. Because...women ultimately rock the cradle. Women "control" infanticide basically. We tend to think of sex-selective infanticide or abortion being about killing of girls and having a disproportionate number of men. But then I thought of a sort of variation on The Lysistrata. What if the women in some polis (or the whole world) all secretly agreed to just start smothering male babies. Leave them at a ratio of only 1-to-5 with female babies. And then blame it on some mysterious disease (I pictured this happening back in ancient Greece or Rome where people were more credulous). Then women would come to predominate society and would have more strength even just physically (because they'd outnumber men, left at all mainly just for breeding, 5 to 1).
 Of course, we tend to associate polygamy with male dominance, but in this case it would be clear female dominance. The 5 wives would be able to overpower 1 husband. The only reason "oppressive" polygamy works is because of the "lost boys of polygamy" (ie, all the "extra" males who don't get women) being used by the men who do have wives as armies and enforcers to, essentially, protect the alphas from their own women. But if the surplus was killed off by mothers right from the start...women would have all the advantages, even physically.
 So: the continued existence of the male sex is pretty much entirely at the mercy of women. So to anyone who questions the power of women: just thank God that mothers still love their sons!

2 comments:

sortacatholic said...

Women are the superior sex. We're just the drones that follow along and provide DNA samples. My best friend says that she will get whatever she wants from her future husband. I have absolutely no doubt that she will. She's the type that's got her "princess wedding" planned down to the most minute details. Glad I'm not marrying her!

it's always really just men "letting" them have it, almost patronizingly...because at the end of the day [...] we could easily "revoke" any and all womens equality.

Well I know some women that could kick my ass! Why would we want to revoke women's equality? I prefer women doctors and dentists, my (brilliant) boss is a woman, I've often voted women into office, and I'll happily vote for a woman President if she's with me ideologically. Professional gender equality can only benefit society.
I don't see a revolt of the testosterone-addled anytime soon.

I do, however, see why the Church is upset by gender egalitarianism. It's hard to deny that the Pill has freed women to take up positions in the boardroom, ivory tower, and the halls of government. I also understand why the Church pushes a pre-modern sexual complementarity. HV won't work without the machismo/marianismo divide. Fine. However, I am bothered by Vatican statements that try to re-chain women to the stove. Not going back there. A woman is absolutely equal to a man in the secular sphere. No woman should ever be pressured to wed or perform a certain occupation. If she shows academic talent, she should (indeed must) receive postsecondary education. A male child should not receive the benefit of higher education just because he has a penis.

The movements within the Church to apply HV/TOTB sex complementarity to the secular spehere are misguided and ultimately destructive to women. There lies true misogyny, especially if the woman is coerced into domesticity against her better inclinations.

A Sinner said...

"Women are the superior sex. We're just the drones that follow along and provide DNA samples."

Well, that's what I sort of realized.

"Well I know some women that could kick my ass!"

I meant collectively.

"Why would we want to revoke women's equality?"

I wouldn't, really. It's just that (based on sheer physical strength as things currently stand) we could IF we wanted to.

"Professional gender equality can only benefit society."

I agree, at least on the conscious level. Subconsciously, though, I think men do fear female power for exactly the reasons you outline regarding us being "drones"...we know we're ultimately expendable, and that they could engineer that if they wanted. Men fight wars and die while the Helens of the world just sit back and watch it all happen and smile...

"There lies true misogyny, especially if the woman is coerced into domesticity against her better inclinations."

Definitely.