From: Mara.Bustelo@anu.edu.au@anu.edu.au (Mara R. Bustelo)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Nussbaum, Okin, and Rawls
Date: 1 Oct 1992 03:09:22 GMT
Organization: FACULTY OF LAW, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
Keywords: principles of justice
Originator: muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Sep25.131032.11624@sophia.smith.edu> orourke@sophia.smith.EDU (Joseph O'Rourke) writes:
>       Imagine that "you" were given the choice prior to your
>       birth whether to be born female or male.  Which would
>       you choose?

>It is perhaps too difficult to separate yourself from your gender
>to answer this question, but just relfecting on it highlights
>current justice imbalances.

I don't know, I had never thought much about it. I was a complete tomboy 
until approximately the age of twelve, often taken for a boy. I still 
remember the day I looked around while the boys were playing soccer and the 
girls were elsewhere exploring and suddenly realised that I did not really 
want to be a boy... perhaps because I felt I could do anything they did if I 
wanted to but could avoid doing things they were "expected" to do (like get 
rough while playing soccer).

I recently thought of such a choice again, when a male friend of mine 
pointed out that he felt in some ways it was harder being a man. He meant 
that, since he considers the issue of discrimination of women one of the 
most important our generation has to deal with, he feels that any thinking 
man has an extremely hard time ever being able to feel good about himself - 
whatever his activism; while as a woman one can more easily feel right, and 
be one of the "goodies."

This wasn't a very serious conversation, but it did make me think. Granted, 
one would have to start from a position of socio-economic privilege; but, 
it is true that as a Western woman from privileged circumstances (well-off 
background and full education) I suddenly realized that I 
personally experience enough discrimination to be aware of it, but not quite 
enough to have a dramatic impact on my life. Yes, I have sometimes had to 
fight to get what I wanted, and have often been conscious that a lot of 
people around me disapproved of my behaviour... but it is true that there is 
almost a delight in the fight sometimes, a feeling that one is fighting for 
justice. And paying enough of a personal price about it to feel good about 
oneself... and not enough to suffer badly.

Frankly, I thought my friend was right. It is still a big risk to be born a 
woman in this world. For the vast majority of us, it would be much easier to 
be a man. But for a few of us, in my type of circumstances, I am not too 
sure that it is not easier to have a conscience and be a woman. Frankly, I 
know how bad it feels sometimes even to watch the news and be 
aware of being white, European and well-off. I can imagine that to add being 
male would sometimes make living with a conscience even harder.

Mara.Bustelo@anu.edu.au




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