Fundamentally, I say “you, go girls” It’s interesting for me as a middle-aged feminist and mother to observe feminism coming back to the fore. I support this new wave, but I also see that it fails to address certain aspects of women’s lives. If you look back over the past 100 years, there has always been a pendulum effect in feminism. Every time there’s a push forward, a backlash follows. There was a long period when feminism was declared dead—now this generation has come of age and is defining women’s liberation on their own terms.
There is an explosion of feminist energy The last few years have been extraordinary, with the expansion of campaigns such as Page 3, Everyday Sexism and Loose the Lads Mags. It seems incredible to me that a young women who succeeded in getting Jane Austen on a banknote had to go into hiding because of misogynistic attacks on Twitter.
Girls should not aspire to the superwoman myth The popular portrait of a successful woman is now of someone such as Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg—not that I have anything against her but it’s a corporate and materialistic image. We don’t use the term “having it all” anymore because nobody can—and it’s not worth aspiring to. I think it’s more important to have a fulfilling life where you use all your talents, have somewhere to live, and someone you love with whom you can share interesting conversation.
After having children, you go into another universe The author Rachel Cusk describes that sense of isolation in a dark way in her latest book, Aftermath: on marriage and separation. I try to tackle it in a less depressing fashion in my writing–it doesn’t last forever. One of the things I’m trying to do in my new book, What to Tell Our Daughters, is to marry a parent’s perspective—as a mother you can be conservative because you’re full of fear for your daughter—with my feminism. I don’t think I have lost my feminism, but it’s certainly changed.
The level of rage on Mumsnet shocks me! It puts to bed this idea that motherhood instills in you a caring, organic attitude. There’s something complex about the impact of parenthood–it makes you see the larger issues, but at the same time it’s easy for your focus to narrow onto your child.
The Bridget Jones generation has replaced calorie counting with politics Modern feminism is not part of a broader political movement. The second-wave arose out of left wing political campaigns such as opposition to the Vietnam War and the cultural revolution of the late 60s and early 70s. This new wave comes out of something quite different–educated women who are fighting against barriers in their personal lives and careers. While, not being tied to a defined set of political values gives them a freedom, it also means that there’s something missing from the current debate.
Ed Miliband is interested in feminism This year’s Labour Women’s Conference was described by Harriet Harman as the biggest political meeting of women in recent times. There’s a massive resurgence of interest in how we improve women’s lives, which feeds off a wider commitment to raising living standards. On a personal level, I’m glad my daughters are becoming adults just as fourth wave feminism hits. If that hadn’t happened they might have looked at me and just seen boring old mum with her boring old concerns from another era.
What Should We Tell Our Daughters by Melissa Benn (John Murray, £20) is available to buy here
There is an explosion of feminist energy The last few years have been extraordinary, with the expansion of campaigns such as Page 3, Everyday Sexism and Loose the Lads Mags. It seems incredible to me that a young women who succeeded in getting Jane Austen on a banknote had to go into hiding because of misogynistic attacks on Twitter.
Girls should not aspire to the superwoman myth The popular portrait of a successful woman is now of someone such as Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg—not that I have anything against her but it’s a corporate and materialistic image. We don’t use the term “having it all” anymore because nobody can—and it’s not worth aspiring to. I think it’s more important to have a fulfilling life where you use all your talents, have somewhere to live, and someone you love with whom you can share interesting conversation.
After having children, you go into another universe The author Rachel Cusk describes that sense of isolation in a dark way in her latest book, Aftermath: on marriage and separation. I try to tackle it in a less depressing fashion in my writing–it doesn’t last forever. One of the things I’m trying to do in my new book, What to Tell Our Daughters, is to marry a parent’s perspective—as a mother you can be conservative because you’re full of fear for your daughter—with my feminism. I don’t think I have lost my feminism, but it’s certainly changed.
The level of rage on Mumsnet shocks me! It puts to bed this idea that motherhood instills in you a caring, organic attitude. There’s something complex about the impact of parenthood–it makes you see the larger issues, but at the same time it’s easy for your focus to narrow onto your child.
The Bridget Jones generation has replaced calorie counting with politics Modern feminism is not part of a broader political movement. The second-wave arose out of left wing political campaigns such as opposition to the Vietnam War and the cultural revolution of the late 60s and early 70s. This new wave comes out of something quite different–educated women who are fighting against barriers in their personal lives and careers. While, not being tied to a defined set of political values gives them a freedom, it also means that there’s something missing from the current debate.
Ed Miliband is interested in feminism This year’s Labour Women’s Conference was described by Harriet Harman as the biggest political meeting of women in recent times. There’s a massive resurgence of interest in how we improve women’s lives, which feeds off a wider commitment to raising living standards. On a personal level, I’m glad my daughters are becoming adults just as fourth wave feminism hits. If that hadn’t happened they might have looked at me and just seen boring old mum with her boring old concerns from another era.
What Should We Tell Our Daughters by Melissa Benn (John Murray, £20) is available to buy here
