Argumentative Penguin
2 min readOct 20, 2023

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I may be the gender-egalitarian you referenced in your opening paragraph. I may not be. I've been fairly open about my desire to distance myself from 'Feminism' (as discussed here) https://medium.com/p/97a857347ceb

I'm going to reiterate my position again - because I think you're conflating multiple positions. You're right to suggest that being a gender-egalitarian doesn't resolve the problem of capitalistic oppression. That is why I'm also a socialist. I think we should be paying more tax and that tax should be distributed equitably. For example, we may want to tax more billionaires and set up free childcare so couples, throuples or single parents can seek more work at a career.

Making the workplace fairer between men and women is a matter of gender equality. Making the workplaces (collective) fairer is a matter for socialism. We cannot conflate these two problems into each other and call it Feminism. It doesn't work. It mixes the messages - as in this article... by the wonderful Yael Wolfe. https://medium.com/liberty-76/when-it-comes-to-money-women-in-heterosexual-relationships-need-more-than-equality-78f5735985ea

She's conflated her choice to be a teacher and the subsequent poor wages as a gender issue - because her ex partner chose a less fulfilling (but better paid) job and when they split she had less money. This isn't a feminism problem, this is a socialism problem. One solved by insisting we should be paying teachers more money (regardless of their genitals). I think you're doing the same thing here by blending your thoughts about capitalism and your thoughts about patriarchy. Conflation helps nobody. It muddies the water and makes the solution harder to reach. Sometimes it adds a lot of feel-goods for the readers, particularly if they're women, but it remains a separate issue with a different solution.

And gender-egalitarianism isn't about equality. We can mandate equality if we want, but for every woman we throw into the CEO position, we'll have to throw ten in prison. Gender egalitarianism is about fairness and equity. Giving people what is both fair for their needs and relevant to their situation. Do I think VAT should come off sanitary towels and tampons in the UK? Of course I don't. I think they should be free for women across the board. Why? They're necessary. Should be funded by the taxpayer the way we provide education and/or healthcare. Is that financially equal for men who don't use sanitary towels and tampons? No. Is it equity? Yes.

Until the world can differentiate between equity between genders and arguing for their own genital side at the cost of the other, I'll remain a gender egalitarian. For the record I'm also opposed to your definition of true feminism being anti-capitalist, anti-racist and intersectional. I think the consistent inter sectioning of everything identity based is causing far more trouble than it's worth in a complicated world. That's a debate for a different day though. :o)

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Argumentative Penguin
Argumentative Penguin

Written by Argumentative Penguin

Playwright. Screenwriter. Penguin. Fan of rationalism and polite discourse. Find me causing chaos in the comments. Contact: argumentativepenguin@outlook.com

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