Why I am a feminist

I was looking for this post yesterday. Here is the post where I explain, briefly, the ethical principle I do my best to live by:

“In any conflict between the rights or needs of two persons, the strong should give way to the weak (given proportionality), in order to maintain the possibility of the greatest possible preservation of goods. 

If the stronger individual gives way, they have the resources to potentially recover from any injury. If the weaker individual is made to give way, they are less likely to recover, and the sum total of human wellbeing and good is reduced. Given that all human beings are likely to find themselves at times weaker and at times stronger, we all benefit from a society that treats the weak with consideration and compassion.

…I would privilege the poor over the rich, children over adults, the powerless over the powerful, and the weak over the strong.”

I’m feminist for the same reason I’m pro-life. Because the needs of the weak ought to outweigh the comfort of the strong.

Feminism is an attempt to grapple with the underlying truth that women ARE at a disadvantage in power relations with men because of our biological, child-bearing nature. I disagree with a lot of feminists about some of their solutions (I don’t think that we ought to trade away the blessings of femininity and fertility in order to escape vulnerability–that seems like surrender of a sort to me), but all the same, I think women and men need to be activists to protect women’s rights and dignity when they are most vulnerable.

What that means in practice might differ. I’ve argued with feminists who would rather I didn’t call myself a feminist…but, honestly, recently I’ve met less of that recently. Prolife feminists aren’t the only feminists getting a little antsy about being ‘represented’ by aging academic upper-class establishment third-wavers.

If there was ever a community that argued more among themselves about emphasis, mission, and methods than do Catholics, it’s feminists. Why? Because it’s still a big tent. Half the human race are women–that’s a lot of voices, with a lot of concerns, and a lot of different approaches.

And as long as it is a big tent, it’s one where I want my voice heard. I want to build the “new feminism” that my Pope, soon-to-be Saint John Paul II, called for.