The Female Man isn't just a feminist novel, it's a novel about feminism—one that dramatizes some of the classic arguments for and against women's resistance to patriarchy. Most importantly, the novel explores how, for some women, learning to identify as a feminist takes a lot of dogged determination and courage. Joanna lives in a world where women with strong feminist values are labeled as extremists, hysterics, shrews, harpies, and uglies who couldn't get men if they tried. As much as she's drawn to Janet's brash confidence and devil-may-care attitude, Joanna has been socialized to be quiet, polite, and deferential to men. For her, breaking free of that training is an ongoing act of resistance and revolution.
Questions About Philosophical Viewpoints: Feminism
- What patriarchal ideologies shape Joanna's thoughts and actions throughout the novel?
- Examples of socialist feminism, radical feminism, and liberal feminism appear throughout The Female Man. Does the novel seem to be advocating one form of feminist practice over another? Does it suggest which one has the best chance of success? How can you tell?
- Are there any male feminists in The Female Man? If so, who?
Chew on This
The Female Man introduces liberal feminist goals and aspirations only to reject them. Ultimately, the novel suggests that earning wealth, status, and acceptance as "one of the boys" won't help Joanna, or women more generally, in the long run.
In The Female Man, gender hierarchies are related to capitalism. The fact that Whileaway is a planet run entirely by women isn't the only reason why that world is a feminist utopia. Whileaway is also a world with no class distinctions, no wealth disparity, no poverty, and no relationships in which one person is economically dependent on another. Ultimately, the novel associates socialism with women's liberation, and aligns capitalism with patriarchal oppression.