WHAT GREAT FEMALE WRITERS OF THE PAST CAN TEACH US ABOUT

FEMINISM FOR THE FUTURE

March 8th is International Women’s Day, when global attentions will focus on the achievements of women, and the steps that still need to be taken to accelerate

gender parity. But what would four of the most

influential female writers of the past suggest we do about the issues

affecting women today?Find out now...

VIRGINIA WOOLF ON BREAKING THE

GLASS CEILING

In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf argues that the lack of great female writers (at the time) was down to the

everyday suppression of women rather than women’s inferiority.

What Virginia Woolf can teach us about the future for feminism:

As long as women still hold the “housewife” role (controlled, for example, by laws on paternity leave for

fathers) and therefore lack the privacy and financial freedom to fulfil their potential—society (and the

boardroom) will never be equal.Read more...

SABA MAHMOOD ON THE MEANING

OF FREEDOM

In her 2005 book Politics of Piety, Saba Mahmood challenges many assumptions about Islamic women’s

religious traditions; in choosing to embrace the norms of their faith, Mahmood argues, these women are not limiting, but

rather affirming, themselves.

What Saba Mahmood can teach us about the future for feminism:

“Freedom” means different things to different women. If we are to allow all women the right

to their own voice, we must accept and respect these differences.

Read more...

JUDITH BUTLER ON CHOOSING YOUR OWN IDENTITY

With Gender Trouble, Judith Butler gives each of us the power to define our gender. She argues that it’s not our

sex organs that define us, but what actions we take.

What Judith Butler can teach us about the future for

feminism:

Rethinking society’s rigid gender categories, and refusing to

conform, can only lead to more interesting, and ultimately

fulfilling, lives.Read more...Image credit: Andrew Rusk on Flickr

DE BEAUVOIR ON BARBIE, BEAUTY AND THE MALE

GAZE

In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir argues that a doll is a way to teach little girls to identify with the

condition of being dressed up, made pretty, and preened over.

What Simone de Beauvoir can teach us about the future for

feminism:

What would de Beauvoir make of Barbie’s recent transformation to a variety of body shapes, skin tones, “face sculpts,” and entrepreneurial

careers?Read more...

LEARN MORE ABOUT FEMINIST THEORYFROM HISTORY’S BRIGHTEST MINDS

From de Beauvoir to Butler, Macat curates and explains the 160 most important books ever written in a way that helps you

think smarter.Start your FREE trial