@fruitonaplatter sorry, I have only just had a chance to reply. I think I was saying teaching it is more comparable to teaching history than a language. Language is a subject in relation to which the personal experience is fairly essential if you want to teach it. Feminism is an academic subject like history, geography, law. No personal experience required. feminism is about liberation feminism according to the dictionary is the belief that men and women are equal, nothing to do with liberation. To you it may be liberation, to me it is choices, to someone else it is something else. But the definition is equality as I said. With equality you can make it what you like for your own life, so I am happy with the dictionary definition. I would prefer to work in partnership with men rather than be liberated.
@bertrandrussell I think that your list is asking for patronage by men and special rules for women. I don't think women want or need either. The need for equality is never going to be redundant, and history of how we have got to where we are (not far enough, granted) should not be wiped out, in my opinion. In relation to your points my comments would be:
1. Take full responsibility for their fare share of domestic work and childcare I don't think rules are helpful, it is down to the parents to decide for themselves how they want to do it.
2. Challenge sexist/ misogynist/violent talk and behaviour every time they see it and wherever they see it Again, I don't think we need rules, we need laws which are easily enforceable and we need to look at why men (and sometimes women) behave like this. In relation to violence, people are violent if they lack empathy and self control. It is not inevitable that anyone in our society should behave like this, it is down to upbringing and culture or at least that is the case for the vast majority. Things need to change but making it a man task to help women to tell people off for bad behaviour is not going to help.
3. Stop using prostitutes. I would say stop using prostitutes who are trafficked, pimped or desperate. Women who work as independent prostitutes have posted on mumsnet more than once to say that they want to do the work they do, what they want is legalisation and protection.
4. Challenge sexist work practices-for example making sure that any panel, board or committee they are on at least represents the sexy balance of the organization - if necessary refusing to go on it if it isn't Again, these rules are just patronising. The right people for the job should be on the panel/board/committee. Women are excellent in their own right they do not need to be patronised like this. We have laws protecting women in the work place and you will find that the decent organisations follow them. In graduate professional roles I have never, ever found that I have been sidelined because I am a woman. I do accept that there are work places and bosses which do not understand the law or want to apply it, but the solution is not getting men to step in to help us.
5. Stop watching porn I am guessing you mean porn which is demeaning? I would say it would be better to fight for better laws to stamp it out, to make it illegal to display or sell demeaning images.
We don't need men to help us do that.
6. Stop buying and playing sexist video games, and films that don't pass the Bedschel test And again
7. Watch Nanette weekly to keep their minds focussed really?
8. Think about how they parent their boys, and remember that they are the next generation of men Yes, granted, though this applies equally to women.