CR5 Issue 171 August 2019

Angela Applin proposed that ‘Women are
becoming ridiculously militant’ and opened
by acknowledging the work of women in the
past. Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social and
Political Union was formed in Manchester in 1903
and led a controversially active campaign. At the
time, people were shocked that the gentle sex
were smashing windows, cutting telegraph wires
and creating general mayhem. The suffragette
campaign attests to other historical successes of
militant opposition such as the French
Revolution. But, cautioned Angela, militancy can
soon become extremism; there is always a cadre
of militants who want to take things well beyond
radical, replacing oppression and tyranny with
ridiculously severe measures.
However, we have come a long way since
the 1928 Representation of the People (Equal
Franchise) Act, giving the vote to all women
over the age of 21 on equal terms with men.
We have a freer and more open society, where
liberal rather than militantfeminism has a major
influence on women’s lives. Gender inequality
will gradually disappear as legal reforms change
the balance of economic power, so there is less
need for militancy – all major barriers to equality
have been eradicated. Liberal feminism seems
far from ridiculous -unlike radical feminists, who
believe women are victims of patriarchal
exploitation. Radical feminists advocate
replacing the family with women-only
communes. Some also practise political
Lesbianism and celibacy as they view
heterosexual relationships as “sleeping with
the enemy”. Marxist feminists blame capitalism
for subjugating women and, like radical groups,
also want to dismantle ‘oppressive’ family life.
Both these groups foment discontent, ignoring
the progress achieved in all aspects of women’s
lives. Angela then commented on the backlash
to the MeToo movement, which even wellknown
feminists like Germaine Greer now
maintain are becoming trivial and silly. She also
noted that radical feminism turned women
into victims by ignoring natural differences and
sexual politics between male and female. The
suffragettes show that women in the past may
have been disadvantaged, but certainly not
downtrodden. She hoped that the posturing of
radical feminism becomes as ridiculous to us as
past abuses of women have become.
Opposer Michael Swadling opened by
deploring the general assumption that women
are all alike, contrasting sharply with the way
men are treated as individuals. He said that this
assumption should make women more militant
– not less. He examined various issues – starting
with voting, which showed that differences
between the sexes are relatively small. In the
2017 General Election, an equal percentage
(43%) of women voted Conservative and Labour.
Are all women feminists? A 2018 YouGov poll
found that 34% of UK women said they were,
with a range of 8 - 40% across Europe; American
research revealed a similar level of concern
between the sexes – apart from the
environment, trade policy and Michael’s next
topic - abortion. Recent polls show that more
women than men support greater restrictions on
abortion, and in the USA, nearly 31% of women
want to overturn the ruling that access to
abortion is a constitutional right. Michael
examined the feminist theory that women want
to compete professionally with men. But while
many women develop high-powered careers,
others enjoy full-time motherhood; others may
balance career and childcare. Having underlined
that women are not one homogeneous group,
Michael then outlined areas where women
should be more militant, starting with sport. The
natural physical differences between genders
make direct men/women competition ridiculous
– but now, transgender athletes (men
transitioning to women) have started to enter
and win women’s events. This denies women
the chance to win against equally matched rivals.
Unisex changing rooms destroy women’s privacy
and increase the risk of sexual assault. Michael
maintained that women should be particularly
militant about the 55% of arranged and forced
marriages, sometimes of young girls to older
men.
Another issue is education – 22% of countries
have greater male literacy rates.
Yet today’s Western women are less than
militant about unjustifiable inequalities in sport,
partnerships and education Perhaps women
should adopt the vigorous protests of their
suffragette great-grandmothers!
The debate was lost by 2 votes to 9, with 1
abstention.
The next meeting, the Society’s topical debate,
will take place on September 2nd. at 7.30 p.m. at
the Old Coulsdon Centre. The topic is yet to be
determined, but will be published in the October
edition of CR5.
Visitors are very welcome; for any further details,
please contact Angela Applin, 020 8668 8558.
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