Introduction
The ideas of feminism turn out to be one of the most burning themes to discuss for a long period. The concept of feminism is widely spread in different circles of our everyday life: many political, cultural, and even economic aspects need to be taken into consideration. Canada is one of few countries that succeed in the attempt to support gender equality as well as in the attempt to support the ideas of multiculturalism. However, certain tensions still exist and put the connection of feminism and multiculturalism under a question. Susan Moller Okin was one of the first writers, who were not afraid to define the relations of multiculturalism and feminism, to pose one of the most provocative questions whether multiculturalism could be bad for women, and to give not less provocative answer, calling these concepts pure oppositional. Though “multicultural and feminist psychology, despite considerable shared values and perspectives, have long existed in parallel universes” (Reynolds abd Constantine 346), it becomes difficult and even impossible to give one concrete answer to this question. The ideas of multiculturalism can be hardly regarded either pure bad for women or good only because it is not a simple question, and it is useless to give a simple answer; the connection between feminism and multiculturalism is evident indeed, and these two different theories supplement each other and promote both negative and positive outcomes, which become crucial for this life.
General Information about Feminism and Multiculturalism
Feminism, its basics, and influence to human life and interpersonal communication
Feminism is one of the most influential social theories that evaluate political and economic basics and, at the same time, a movement that aims to establish equal rights for women, based on personal experience, demands, and interests. Feminist political actions help to clear up what may cause inequality, how the existed rights may improve or worsen the situation, and why it is so hard to cope with such problems like domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination. The existence of feminism serves as a powerful proof that male superiority becomes more and more evident, and women have to take considerable steps to prove their positions, rights, and interests. “Over the centuries, and in many different countries, women have spoken out for their sex, and articulated, in different ways, their complaints, their needs, and their hopes” (Walters 2). Within a short period of time, the idea of feminism has gained more serious demands and purposes and become called as a “male-hater” movement, according to which it is not enough to define women rights but it is crucial to respect, proud, and rely on female demands. Women’s social status has already changed; women get a chance to participate in social, political, religious, and economic development and to strive for human rights. And this is what unites the ideas of feminism to the ones of multiculturalism – the desire to re-organize the levels of the field, where all human beings happen to be found.
Ideas of multiculturalism and the reasons for its restrictive meaning in different countries
“Culture is a way of life, a rich and time-worn grammar of human activity, a set of diverse and often conflicting narratives whereby communal (mis)understandings, roles, and responsibilities are negotiated” (Honig 39). The idea of multiculturalism is to promote different cultures, which exist in the world, and to safe the idea of diversity but still be able to unite interests and organize communication on the necessary level. However, the varieties of culture may have both negative and positive intentions. For example, it is possible to accept the ideas of multiculturalism and get a chance to unite people with different positions and attitude to this life on the one hand. However, on the other hand, it becomes difficult sometimes to get used to a foreign culture and consider personal interests. Each country has its own position to the definition of multiculturalism. One of the best examples of a distinct attitude may be observe in America and Europe. British and other Europeans admit that multiculturalism is caused “not so much by the emergence of a political movement but by a more fundamental movement of peoples” (Modood 2). In England, the ideas of multiculturalism depend on immigration of people; in Sweden, a low level of inequality plays a very important role; and in Canada, an unbelievable mix of races and cultures and constant immigration promote the development of multiculturalism. People demands are the main motive power; and consideration of these demands, possibility for different people to express their true natures, and ability to be adapted to certain social issues are considered as powerful grounds to support multiculturalism. However, there are still certain opposite factors, which make people doubt the effectiveness of multiculturalism in all countries. These opponents admit that multiculturalism leads to the raising of restrictions, inabilities to get freedom, and failure of democracy. One of the brightest opponents is Susan Moller Okin and her work about the ideas of multiculturalism and feminism. As it is observed once again, the problems and basics of multiculturalism are connected to feminism. It is high time to discuss how exactly multiculturalism and feminism are related to each other, what are the outcomes of this connection, and whether multiculturalism is really for bad for women.
Multiculturalism and Feminism: Bad or Good for Women
About women and culture
Susan Okin admits that men get too many rights to control women and their styles of life by means of cultural identities. Due to “fairly clear disparities of power between the sexes… male members are those who are generally in a position to determine and articulate the group’s beliefs, practices, and interests” (Okin 9). Such a statement shows that this male ability to control and improve human rights leads to the development of antifeminist ideas and limitation of women’s capacities to use their dignity and freedom as well as men can do it (Waller and Marcos xxix). The same idea of multiculturalism may have positive outcomes. For example, one country has the culture and traditions to respect women and even encourage them more than men. With the help of such diversities and multiculturalism, people among the whole world are able to observe how the state of affairs may change if power is completely allowed to women, partially available to women, and completely forbidden to women. Why not accept the existence of multiculturalism as a chance to evaluate the same concept from different perspectives and foresee possible consequences. Taking into consideration this possibility, the ideas of multiculturalism and feminism have to be regarded as “both contradictory and complementary at the same time” (Reingold and Baratz 54). People have to find more ways to make women and men’s rights equal; as a rule, it becomes easier to find out how to deprive a person of something than to provide the same person with the ability to have something for free, become free, or get equal rights. If a person wants to see and realize that multiculturalism is bad for women only, it is easy to find enough grounds to prove it; and if a person wants to believe that multiculturalism is another good chance to protect women and give them one more chance to get out of male shadow.
Why may multiculturalism be bad for women?
Okin was eager to underline that the ideas of conflict that exist between multiculturalism and feminism became considerable with time. Multiculturalism promotes certain respect and flexibility of diversities. Many multiculturalists support the idea to break racial and cultural inequalities, help people make their lives easier, and create comfortable conditions. However, the same multiculturalists do not want to pay enough attention to the questions of polygamy that should not allow one man have more than one wife. Is it fair that multiculturalism supports the ideas of having many wives and not cares about such necessities like trust, devotion, and loyalty? Why should a woman suffer because of the idea of being not the only wife in the family? The worst point is that the idea of male polygamy becomes more and more illusive and even not important. From this very perspective, multiculturalism can never be good for women, so the thoughts and suggestions of Susan Okin sound rather comprehensible.
Why may multiculturalism be good for women?
It is wrong to accept multiculturalism as a concept with a pure negative impact on women, still it is necessary to find out the reasons of why it influences positively women, their styles of life, and communication with men.
“Okin’s view of the interface between feminism and multiculturalism is so focused on the “conflict” generated by the anti-feminist and patriarchal effects of criminal cultural defense that, against her own best advice, she allows herself to produce “monolithic,” though gender-differentiated, characteristics of minorities.” (Bhanha 79)
This is why it is better to imagine that there is not conflict between these two concepts and evaluate what benefits are possible to get from the connection of multiculturalism and feminism. First of all, it is necessary to admit that different cultures demonstrate different approaches to women. If one culture does not want to accept women’s rights and abilities, another culture may demonstrate a perfect way on how to respect, appreciate, encourage, etc. There is no need to use one standard and follow it all the time. Changes are inherent to different spheres of life, human behaviour, and means of communication. Multiculturalism undergoes certain changes all the time and women should not suffer from these changes but use them to benefit. Multiculturalism allows people with different cultural backgrounds share their traditions; it may be a good chance to improve one culture by means of another. Such attitude to the idea of multiculturalism and feminism and their mutual assistance shows that women have all chances to break the existed inequality and get the same to men’s rights.
Conclusion
In general, it becomes very difficult to come to one conclusion and give one concrete answer to the question concerning the influence of multiculturalism on women. The situation of women differs considerably from one country to another country. This is why the representatives of different cultures truly believe that the grounds of multiculturalism will help them improve their own culture, be involved in the ideas of other cultures, and face fewer problems with the representatives of opposite cultures. However, it is also necessary to consider the negative influence of different cultures. Susan Okin demonstrated how negative the impact of one country may be for another country. It is obligatory to define that multiculturalism is bad for women without no excuses. Much depends on people’s attitude to this problem, and if a person wants to use multiculturalism as one more means to enlarge his/her knowledge and to achieve success, such attempts will be positive, and multiculturalism will be good for women from different perspectives.
Works Cited
Bhabha, Homi K. “Liberalism’s Sacred Cow” in Joshua Cohen, Matthew Howard, and Martha Nussbaum, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? Susan Moller Okin with Respondents, Princeton University Press, 1999, pp. 79-84.
Honig, Bonnie. “My Culture Made Me Do It” in Joshua Cohen, Matthew Howard, and Martha Nussbaum, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? Susan Moller Okin with Respondents, Princeton University Press, 1999, pp. 35-40.
Modood, Tariq. Multiculturalism: A Civic Idea. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2007.
Okin, Susan, Moller, “Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?” in Joshua Cohen, Matthew Howard, and Martha Nussbaum, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? Susan Moller Okin with Respondents, Princeton University Press, 1999, pp. 7-26.
Reingold, Roni and Baratz, Lea. “Feminism and Multiculturalism: Two Common Foundations for a Vision and a Practice of Transformative Social Activities and Education in Israel.” Journal of International Women’s Studies 10.4 (2009): 53-64.
Reynolds, Amy, L and Constantine, Madonna, G. “Feminism and Multiculturalism: Parallels and Interactions.” Journal of Multiculturalism Counseling and Development 32 (2004): 346-357.
Waller, Marguerite and Marcos, Sylvia, eds, Dialogue and Difference. Feminisms Challenge Globalization. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Walters, Margaret. Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.