What is this Haslanger’s definition of a woman? This thing, it’s got me all confused. This old lady don’t know nothin’ ’bout no fancy words. But I heard some folks talkin’, and they say this Haslanger, she’s got some ideas ’bout what it means to be a woman.
What’s a Woman Anyway?
Now, back in my day, it was simple. You got the parts, you’re a woman. You don’t, you’re a man. Ain’t that right? But these days, seems like it ain’t so simple no more. They talkin’ ’bout gender and all sorts of things. This Haslanger, she says a woman is someone who’s held down in some ways. Like, maybe they don’t get paid as much as men, or they ain’t got the same say-so in things.
She say woman ain’t the same as female. Female is about the body you born with. Woman, that’s somethin’ else. That’s ’bout how folks treat ya. If they treat ya like you less ’cause you a woman, then you a woman. That’s what I reckon she sayin’.
- Female is ’bout body.
- Woman is ’bout how folks treat ya.
This Thing Called Gender
Now this gender thing, that’s a whole other mess. Seems like some folks, they born one way, but they feel another. Like a man trapped in a woman’s body, or the other way ’round. This Haslanger, she say that’s okay. If a female acts like a man, then maybe she a man in some way. And if a male acts like a woman, maybe he a woman. It’s all ’bout how you act and how folks see ya, I guess. This social thing is important.
Some folks, they don’t like this. They say a woman is a woman ’cause of her body. And a man is a man ’cause of his. They say you can’t just change what you are. But this Haslanger, she say different. She says what’s inside matters too. And how folks treat ya, that matters a whole lot.
What is Equal Rights?
This thing is kind of important, I think that is called equal rights. That means a woman should get paid the same as a man if she’s doin’ the same job. And she should have the same chances as a man, to do what she wants in life. That is why some folks call themselves feminist. They want to support equal rights for women.
This Haslanger, she seems to think that’s important too. She say a woman is someone who’s held back ’cause she’s a woman. So, I reckon she thinks women should have the same rights as men. It only makes sense, don’t it?
She’s talkin’ ’bout how things should be. Not how they are, but how they ought to be. She wants folks to think ’bout what it really means to be a woman. And she wants things to be fair, for women and for everybody. She wants that women have the same political, social, and economic rights as men.
- Equal pay for equal work.
- Same chances for everyone.
- Fairness for all.
So, What’s the Answer?
So, what is Haslanger’s definition of a woman? Well, it ain’t simple, that’s for sure. It ain’t just ’bout your body. It’s ’bout how folks treat ya, and how you feel inside. It’s ’bout whether you held back ’cause you a woman. And it’s ’bout wantin’ things to be fair, for women and for everyone. I think that someone is a woman if they are systematically subordinated in certain respects, like economic, political, legal, and social.
It is said that female is defined by her birth sex. But is that all? It looks like there is no fixed definition of womanhood.
This old lady still got a lot to learn, I reckon. But I think this Haslanger, she’s on to somethin’. Maybe it ain’t so simple as we used to think. Maybe bein’ a woman is more than just what’s between your legs. Maybe it’s ’bout what’s in your heart, and how folks treat ya. And maybe, just maybe, we all need to think a little harder ’bout what it means to be a woman, and what it means to be fair to everyone.
