Maricarmen Martinez
Firestone's and Wilson's views on the Oppression of Women
Firestone claims that reproductive biology causes the oppression of Women. She uses several premises to support this claim, among them, Marilyn Frye's definition of oppression and Marx's method for the elimination of oppression. The definition of oppression that Firestone takes from Frye is: oppression is a socio-political system designed to purposely confine, shape, manipulate or reduce a particular class or caste of people solely on arbitrary grounds and for the advantage, of another class. The oppressive system uses barriers to confine the oppressed class or caste. These barriers take the form of norms, laws, procedures, and societal practices which prevent the oppressed class or caste to develop its full potential and achieve freedom. Thus, practices or behaviors such as rape and domestic abuse, as well as social norms that guide motherhood, serve as barriers against women. These barriers which are built into the system, are not immediately perceived but a closer look at the organization of society might reveal their existence. For Firestone, as well as for Frye, a woman in an oppressive society is somehow like a bird in a cage. If someone sees a birdcage he or she wonders why the bird does not fly away. This is so because, the wires that make up the cage cannot be seen from a distance. However, a step back will soon show that the wires interconnect and intersect. The same is true for women. It is therefore, necessary to pay close attention in order to see the patterns of confinement that society devises for women. Since Firestone shares with Marx the premise that every form of oppression is unjust, as well as his method of finding the cause of oppression to eradicate it, she goes on to find the cause of the barriers that confine women.
Firestone examines the different barriers that confine women such as all forms of sexual aggression as well as the limitations associated with menstruation, child bearing. She claims that the common denominator of these barriers is that they are caused by reproductive biology. Firestone argues that women are physically weakened by their reproductive biology and that the male dominated society arbitrarily takes advantage of this fact, and even makes that weakness more drastic. Thus, men used the weakness of women, which results from their reproductive biology to create a sexual division of labor. This allowed men to be explorers of their environment and confined women to domestic chores and raising the children. Thus, female reproductive biology causes the unequal distribution of power in the biological family. Furthermore, the reproductive biology of women also causes that they are psychologically weakened. Men created a society defined in terms of gender roles that prescribe that women should behave as "passive" females or act" feminine" and that they should "dominate' by men. This society also encourages heterosexuality as the sexual practice that guarantees that women should remain confined by their reproductive biology and which allows men to continue to control the reproductive biology of the women.
Once Firestone shows that reproductive biology causes the oppression of women, she moves on to say that the endorsement and use of reproductive biology as an institution is politically dangerous. Reproductive biology causes oppression and every form of oppression is unjust. Therefore, Firestone proposes to eliminate reproductive biology and that women should take control of their reproductive biology. Human beings are not controlled or obliged by their biology. Historically, we have used technology to liberate ourselves from the threats of nature and also for our freedom and well being. We can and should use technology to liberate us from the confinement brought upon us by nature. The oppression of women will cease if we eliminate reproductive biology and substitute it by artificial reproduction. With the elimination of reproductive biology, the sex/gender system and the institution of heterosexuality will collapse.
A conservative such as Edward Wilson would criticize Firestone's argument by showing that the differences based on reproductive biology are not oppressive, but necessary. Wilson defends this claim by using an "efficiency argument". This type of arguments states that society should encourage and enhance all that is useful and beneficial to it. For Wilson, the biological or natural differences of men and women as well as the institutions based on them should be encouraged, since what is at stake is the natural order of evolution. This order is useful and efficient at preserving the human species and producing a rich and diverse variety of human beings. Therefore, encouraging and enhancing the sexual differences should preserve this order, even if this implies sacrificing individuals that would rather be doing other things than those determined by their sex.
Firestone has a way to avoid the criticism from Wilson by restating that the proposal is guided by the ethical principle: "Every form of oppression is unjust". As human beings we should enhance and foster any practice that help us eliminate oppression. Our commitment is with other human beings and not with nature. Firestone could also argue that the fact that the differences between men and women are necessary does not prevent them from being oppressive, just as the undeniable fact that is necessary to die does not make death less sad, and some could say unfair.
Wilson could argue back that in order us to be committed to each other qua human beings rather than mere biological species; we have to exist as a species. This implies that we are not going to develop practices such as artificial reproduction that could endanger our life in the Planet. Yet, Firestone could argue that artificial reproduction is functionally equivalent to natural reproduction. What are artificial are the means of reproduction and not the result of reproduction. People and not robots are the results of artificial reproduction. A technology designed to liberate women from reproduction is still reproduction. An artificial reproduction that will wipe out a species is a contradiction in terms. As for diversity, people will continue to be as diverse as the DNA allows them to be. Again, Firestone does not talk about the result of the reproduction, which is always going to be people, but of eliminating natural reproduction as the ONLY way of propagating the species.
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