That's an interesting question! By the late 1800s, most colleges and professions were open (or in the process of opening) to women. I would have wanted the right to vote and the right for women to hold political office. But if I had been confronted with the fact that men gained these rights (or privileges) in return for the obligation to fight and risk death for one's country in time of war, I hope I would not have been so unreasonable as to say that I deserved all the rights/privileges with none of the responsibilities.
I would likely have resented the sexual double-standard whereby a woman who was sexual outside of marriage was considered "fallen" while a man was merely considered sexually experienced/successful. But I hope I would have understood why such a sexual double-standard existed.
Knowing what I know now, I think I would have felt that the granting of the right to vote signalled the end of any legitimate claim to grievance I might have had as a modern (western) woman. I hope I would have found everything that came after, beginning with the self-pity of Virginia Woolf and the nasty rage of Simone De Beauvoir, as evidence of bitter selfishness and entitlement.
Oct 9, 2023
at
4:26 AM
Log in or sign up
Join the most interesting and insightful discussions.