Believe In Sisterhood and Self-Empowerment

Feminism engages a critical eye on hierarchical male-female relationships, which are understood as being rooted in a system of domination—patriarchy. The inequitable relationship between the sexes has harsh tangible results. To name a few examples: politically, women’s bodies have become battlegrounds, economically, women earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by men, and socially, women fall victim to gender violence. The feminist movement, according to feminist theorist bell hooks, mobilizes to end “sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” by transforming and equalizing these oppressive relationships that men have with women.

During the early ages of feminism, some feminists envisioned life without these relationships—life without men. They believed that societal ills of crime, poverty, and inequality would not exist if men were nonexistent. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of the utopian novel Herland (1915), was a precursor to this thinking. Herland depicts a civilization of women and girls who are strong, confident, and fearless. The society is free of competitive and offensive behavior, and it is peaceful and healthy.

Gilman’s vision of a land of her own, if you will, expresses a feminist separatist belief critical of male-female relationships. Feminist separatism suggests that men cause fundamental societal ills, that sexual disparities between men and women are irresolvable, and that women should therefore seek liberation through complete separation from men.

Like many feminists, I find the separatist underpinnings of utopian feminism to be incredibly problematic. The beliefs of separatist feminists—I’m actually reluctant to call them feminists—are criticized for promoting a female-dominated society in which men could be potentially subjugated and victimized by misandry. The separatist vision is considered counter to feminism’s goal of creating equality between men and women.

I am personally most offended by the complete failure of separatist feminists to acknowledge that imaginative worlds suddenly free of men are not necessarily apt to yield positive, anti-oppressive results. In fact, women have the unfortunate tendency to internalize sexism and align themselves with patriarchal thoughts and actions. I believe it incredibly important for feminism to focus not only on liberating and equalizing women’s relationships with men, but also on freeing women from the patriarchy that they are likely to internalize.

Bell hooks describes internalized sexism as “the enemy within” and explains that women have been socialized by the patriarchy to “judge [themselves and each] other without compassion and punish one another harshly.” For example, women often perceive themselves as inferior to men—ladies, recall moments when you may have doubted yourself before a male professor or amongst male peers. Women also tend to compete with one another for male approval—think of the disconnect between women from Barnard and Columbia and the motto “Barnard to bed, Columbia to wed.” The material realities of internalized sexism indicate that the feminist agenda need not only focus its attention on the relationships between men and women, but also on “the enemy within” women which perpetuates dynamics of patriarchy as well.

The primaries have reminded me of the unfortunate reality of internalized sexism and how important it is for women to confront this issue and embrace feminist thinking. Hillary Clinton has been victimized by misogynist critique that attacks her “ugly” appearance, “catty” ways, or “shrill” nature. Unfortunately, I have learned through conversations with peers and online political forums that the sexist language used to describe Clinton is not only being used by men, but also by women. These patriarchal ways of thinking about Clinton could potentially trump the political significance of her campaign. I suggest that women no longer allow patriarchy to determine their perceptions of her and other women, and I urge that women embrace feminism and defend Clinton, as gender becomes of increasing importance to her audience.

Feminism is important because it strives to transform and equalize hierarchical relationships between men and women, and to ensure rights and opportunities for women that are equal to those of men. It also teaches us that liberating the self is crucial to advancing social agendas, and that to create change we must start from within. Feminism gives power to the people. To achieve true liberation, we must first self-empower.

The author is a Barnard College senior majoring in women studies and human rights.