I'm really excited to be able to share a couple guest posts on the topic of New Feminism over the next few weeks. Today we start with a guest post from Rae!
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At the heart of new feminism is the Catholic idea of complementarianism: the view that women and men are equal in dignity, yet distinct in their natural gifts. Men and women are different in a non-superficial way, and the contributions of both are required to shape the ideal society.
Like the word “feminism,” the term “complementarianism” is frequently misunderstood and even demonized. It is often seen at best as the opposite of egalitarianism, and at worst as a philosophical excuse for keeping women locked up at home. Wikipedia currently describes complementarianism as a “male-dominant view,” and as one of my friends says: “separate but equal is never equal.”
The key to understanding the complementarianism of new feminism is that there is no “separate but equal.” Instead new feminists claim that women are “distinct from and equal” to men. Catholic complementarianism insists on both the distinctness of the sexes, and the need for their togetherness rather than separation.
Edith Stein, the grandmother1 of new feminism, explained it this way:
“Lordship over the earth is the primary occupation of man: for this, the woman is placed at his side as helpmate. The primary calling of woman is the procreation and raising of children; for this, man is given to her as protector. Thus it is suitable for the same gifts to occur in both, but in different proportions and relation. In the case of the man, gifts for struggle, conquest, and dominion are especially necessary: bodily force for taking possession of that exterior to him, intellect for a cognitive type of penetration of the world, the powers of will and action for works of creative nature. With woman there are capabilities of caring, protecting, and promoting that which is becoming and growing.”
Objection 1: In reality some women are gifted with great bodily strength or intellect and there are certainly men who are more caring and better at fostering growth than the average woman.
Reply: This is where new feminists recognize a distinction between feminine and masculine nature, and women and men as individuals. Stein later writes that “the strong individual differences existing within both sexes must be taken into account. Many women have masculine characteristics just as many men share feminine ones. Consequently, every so-called ‘masculine’ occupation may be exercised by many women as well as ‘feminine’ occupations by certain men.” She continues on to explain that “not every woman is a pure embodiment of feminine nature. Individualities are not simply variations of feminine nature but are often approximations of masculine nature and qualify, thereby, for an occupation not regarded as specifically feminine.” So, while men in general are typically better equipped to work as masons or engineers, and women as preschool teachers and pediatricians, some individual women should be construction workers, and some individual men make great nurses. Reality certainly permits exceptions to the general rule, but an honest examination of the world will reveal a difference in the general tendencies of men and women.
Objection 2: Viewing woman as a “helpmate” to man requires one to believe that only men are fully human, and women are somehow mere extensions of men (or worse yet, property of men) to properly be subsumed in relationship to men.
Reply: Women are good helpmates to men only to the extent that they are complete, strong persons in their own right. On this Stein writes: “But the woman who ‘suits’ man as a helpmate does not only participate in his work; she complements him, counteracting the dangers of his specifically masculine nature. It is her business to ensure to the best of her ability that he is not totally absorbed in his professional work, that he does not permit his humanity to become stunted, and that he does not neglect his family duties as father. She will be better able to do so the more she herself is mature as a personality; and it is vital here that she does not lose herself in association with her husband but, on the contrary, cultivates her own gifts and powers.”
Objection 3: Complementarianism equates masculinity with God, and femininity with humanity, and thus places man in the position of God relative to woman.
Reply: Catholic complementarianism asserts the traditional Christian truth that God is “pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes” and the “respective ‘perfections’ of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God.” Catechism of the Catholic Church. God cannot be reduced to the masculine. Stein explains that: “only the purely developed masculine and feminine nature can yield the highest attainable likeness to God. Only in this fashion can there be brought about the strongest interpenetration of all earthly and divine life.” Both man and woman are needed in order to most fully image God.
Objection 4: Complementarianism only allows exceptional women into the public sphere and insists on keeping the vast majority of women at home.
Reply: Not new feminist complementarianism! In the 1930s Stein wrote that “The nineteenth-century Industrial Revolution revolutionized average domestic life so that it ceased to be a realm sufficient to engage all of woman’s potentialities.” This is even more true today with the dramatic changes in housekeeping technology and food preparation. It is now the exception rather than the rule for a woman to find the home to be enough to cultivate her gifts and exercise her powers. In addition, new feminists are particularly concerned by the problems of an overly-masculine government which sacrifices the welfare of its citizens for dominance. Thus new feminists actually encourage women to become involved in the public sphere, and to seek the highest offices in government.
Complementarianism is not a denial of the strength and value of women, nor is it an attempt to suppress women or limit their activity and influence. It is a recognition of the unique value of women and men, and a call to view each and every person as a person uniquely gifted by God in every way, including their sex.
1. New Feminism so strongly recognizes the importance of fathers that we even have a father of the movement, John Paul II! John Paul II was strongly influenced by the Catholic feminist Edith Stein, and so most of new feminism can be traced back to her.