Unisexism vs. New Feminism (+ Links)

Like it or not, the word “feminism” as used today has been pretty much co-opted by radical unisex-type feminists. That is the big concern terminologically. “New feminism” might work if it is orthodox, because it contains within it the rejection of, or going further than feminism (i.e., the fashionable radical feminism).

I like the phrase “feminine theology” because it bypasses all the cultural/political baggage of “feminism.” The definition of new feminism from Wikipedia is great:

“New feminism is a predominantly Catholic philosophy which emphasizes a belief in an integral complementarity of men and women, rather than the superiority of men over women or women over men.

I’ve been stressing complementarity of men and women for years in my own ruminations on gender issues. If we call it “new Catholic feminism” it would work even better, though with all the heterodox strains in the Church (on the ground) that can be twisted, too.

I think women can bring special insights and contributions to theology: absolutely, just as men do (and we even have female doctors of the Church now). They can specifically bring things that differentiate them from men. Pope St. John Paul II wrote about many of these special gifts. The more such “projects” the better, in my opinion, as long as they are orthodox.