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Thanks
for your note. There is no one
feminist perspective on marriage--for
instance, there are many feminists
who are married in a traditional
way--the husband is the patriarch
of the family, he's the primary
bread winner, and the wife works
two jobs--one outside the home
and one inside the home. Other
feminists have tried to feminize
marriage--for instance Alix
Kates Schulman wrote a Marriage
Agreement--which made a commitment
to an equal household. And some
feminists never get married
for no special reason and some
because it is viewed as the
inevitable compromise. I know
one feminist who wouldn't marry
because she feels ike it is
not yet an institution open
to everyone--i.e. gay couples--so
until it is, she doesn't want
to take part in something that
is discriminating.
Thirty
years ago, marriage often meant
a loss or merging of identities
for the woman/wife. Today, that
is no longer so. However, the
existing inequities often shine
through when/if children are
born. So in general the feminist
response is that we need to
look at each of our relationships
and see what is necessary for
them. When marriage is the answer,
how can you make marriage and
the responsibilites of marriage--building
a home, family and yourselves--equal.
—Amy
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