sex and marriage

Chapter 10 The Emancipation of Women

At present, sexual morality tends to change, mainly due to two reasons: first, the invention of contraception; second, the emancipation of women.The former reason I shall discuss later: the latter reason is the subject of this chapter.

The women's liberation movement began with the French Revolution as part of the democratic movement.This revolution, as we have seen, changed the laws of inheritance in a way that was very favorable to women.

In 1792, Mary Holstonecraft's "In Defense of the Rights of Woman" was a derivative of the ideas that gave rise to, and forged by, the French Revolution.Since then, until now, the demand for equality between men and women has been paid more and more attention, and has achieved some success.The Submission of Women, by John Stewart Mill, is a persuasive and sensible book.This book had a huge influence on the more intelligent people after him.Both my parents were admirers of him, and in the 60's my mother used to give speeches calling for women's votes.Her idea of ​​gender equality is so strong that when she gave birth to me, she even hired a female doctor, Garrett Anderson, to deliver the baby.Anderson was not yet a doctor, but a certified midwife.

The early women's movement was limited to the upper and middle classes and, therefore, did not develop much political force.Although there are many people in Congress every year proposing bills in favor of voting for women, and there are also motions and seconding motions, but at that time there was always no chance of passing it smoothly and becoming a law.However, middle-class feminists of the time had scored a major victory in their own right, with the passage of the Married Women's Property Act in 1882.Before the enactment of this Act, all property owned by a married woman was at the disposal of her husband, although he could not use this part of the property in the case of a trustee.The history of the subsequent women's movement is very recent and well-known, so there is no need to repeat it.However, consider the significance of the change in perceptions on this issue.It is worthy of study that, in most civilized countries, women have gained political power with an unprecedented speed.It is somewhat similar to the abolition of slavery, but slavery does not exist in modern European countries after all, and it does not give people the impression that the relationship between men and women is as close.

There are, I think, two reasons for this sudden change: first, the direct influence of the theory of democracy that made the demands of opposition to women.No logical reason can be found; and secondly, more and more women are going out to fend for themselves, and their daily comforts are no longer dependent on the favors of their fathers or husbands.This naturally came to a head during the war in Europe, as women now had to take over a large part of the work which was usually done by men.One of the reasons for widespread opposition to women's votes before the war in Europe was their pacifist tendencies.Women largely refuted this accusation during the war in Europe, and, because of their contribution to the bloody cause, they finally gained the vote.It was a disappointment to idealistic vanguards who believed that women could raise political morals.In fact, this is the fate of all idealists, because what they pursue is that which destroys their ideals.In practice, of course, women's rights are not based on such a belief.That is, women are morally or otherwise superior to men.Their rights rest entirely on their rights as human beings, or rather on ordinary democratic arguments.But when an oppressed class or nation claims their just rights, those apologists invariably use the argument to reinforce their argument that women have special contributions and that these contributions are moral.

Although, the political emancipation of women has only an indirect relationship to the marriage revolution, because what is directly related to marriage and morality is the social emancipation of women.In ancient times (and still in the East), women were always bound to keep their moral purity.No effort has been made to give them inner control, and all that has been done is to root out all opportunity for crime.This method has not been seriously adopted in the West, except that women of position are taught from childhood to have a horror of sexual intercourse outside of marriage.As this method of education has been perfected, external barriers have gradually weakened.Those who work to remove external barriers are convinced that internal barriers are enough to restrain women's morality.For example, it was thought that companionship was unnecessary, since a well-educated woman would not accept friendly overtures from young men, whatever her chances.

When I was growing up, it was a common belief among women of status that intercourse was not a pleasure for most women.The reason why they can endure the pain of sexual intercourse in marriage is only out of a sense of obligation.With this notion, they preferred to take risks and give their daughters far more freedom than would have been considered wise in a more practical age.Perhaps the result was somewhat different from what they expected, and even this difference was common among married women as well as unmarried women.Many women still look like Victorian women today.Mentally bound.This restraint is not very obvious on the conscious side, because it belongs to the subconscious inhibition.In modern youth this repression has declined, and this decay has given rise to a resurgence in consciousness of instinctive desires, though concealed under false chastity.This situation has a revolutionary effect on sexual morality, not just in one country or one class, but in all civilized countries and all classes.

What the equality of men and women originally required involved not only political issues, but also sexual morality.Mary Holstonecraft's attitude was completely in line with the requirements of the times, but later activists for women's rights failed to emulate her in this regard.And, on the contrary, they are a very strict moralists, who wish to bind men with the same morals which once bound women.So, after 1914, those young women, although without much theoretical basis, began to stand on different fronts.The emotional excitement of the war was no doubt the chief cause of this new change, but at any rate it would not be long before the change took place.In the past, women's moral motivations were mainly the fear of hellfire and pregnancy.As for the first point, hellfire has ceased to exist due to the failure of theological orthodoxy.While the second point is eliminated by the contraceptive method, the fear of pregnancy is also eliminated.Traditional morality was once maintained by the forces of custom and mental inertia, but the outbreak of war in Europe finally removed these resistances.Modern feminists are no longer as anxious to reduce men's "evil" as were those 30 years ago; what they demand is that what men can get, they should also get.What their predecessors pursued was equality in moral bondage, but what they are pursuing now is equality in moral freedom.

At present, it is difficult to tell how this movement will develop in the future, because it is still in its infancy.Most of the followers and practitioners of this movement are young people.They therefore have few supporters among those who are so-called influential.Also, the police, the lawyers, the church, and their parents are against them, but these young people are generally able to keep these facts hidden from those who would feel sorry for them.Those writers who publish these facts, like Judge Lindsay, are regarded by the elders as maliciously slandering the young, even if the young do not feel that they are being maliciously slandered.

Naturally, this situation will not last long.The point is, which of the following two situations will come first: the old people believe these facts and try to deprive the young people of the freedom they have just won; or the immature young people themselves seek high and important positions , to make the authorities agree with that new morality.According to preliminary estimates, in some countries we will see the former; in others we will see the latter.In Italy, as in other countries, immorality is characteristic of the government, although it is now ardently promoting it; Liberty is likely to win, but where there is Catholicism it is not affirmed; France may hardly be free from her own customs, where, though immorality has a definite forgiveness, but otherwise, There will be no new developments in it; as to what will become of the future in England and America, I dare not judge.

Let us now examine the logic involved in the demand for equality between men and women.It has long been possible, if not theoretically, for men to indulge in illicit sexual relations.When a man marries, he is not required to be a virgin.Even after marriage, a man's infidelity is not taken very seriously as long as his wife and neighbors are unaware of his infidelity.The viability of such a system depends on the existence of prostitutes.However, this is a system that modern people can hardly defend, and few would argue that women should be entitled to the same rights as men: a male prostitute for those who wish to be as chaste as their husbands. It is not a woman's desire.To be sure, in the age of marriage tonight, only a few men can restrain their sexual desires before starting a family with a woman of this class.Since unmarried men cannot restrain their sexual desires, then, from the perspective of equal rights, unmarried women can also request that they do not need to restrain their sexual desires.

For those moralists, this situation is absolutely intolerable.Any traditional moralist, if they can seriously think about this issue, they will find that, in fact, they have committed the so-called "double standard" error, that is, sexual morality is more important in women than in men.It might be argued that theoretical morality also requires men to abstain from their sexual desires.To this, there is an obvious objection: this demand cannot be fulfilled in men, because they easily violate sexual morality secretly.The traditional moralists were therefore obliged, against their will, not only to admit that men and women are not equal, but also to admit that a young man is better off having sex with a prostitute than with a woman of his class, even though he is not of his class. A relationship with a good woman (provided there is no relationship with a prostitute) may be noble, passionate, and pleasurable.Moralists, of course, do not think of the effect of promoting a morality which they know will not be accepted.So long as they do not advocate prostitution, they think, they are not responsible for the fact that prostitution is a necessary outcome of their doctrine.However, today's professional ethicists have only below-the-line knowledge - once again confirmed by everyone's well-known fact.

According to the above.One thing is clear: if most men cannot marry early for economic reasons, and many women cannot marry, equality between men and women will inevitably lead to a lowering of women's traditional moral standards.If men are allowed to have sex before marriage (and they are), women must also be allowed to have sex before marriage.In all countries with a surplus of women, there will be an obvious unfair phenomenon, that is, those women who cannot get married according to one-to-one matching statistics must never have sexual experience.No doubt those pioneers of the women's movement were unaware of the consequences.But in modern times their followers are well aware of this, and whoever rejects this reasoning must face the fact that neither he nor she is in favor of equality between men and women.

The relation of the new morality to the old raises an obvious question.If we stop demanding the chastity of girls and the fidelity of wives, then devise a new way of protecting the family, or acquiesce in the breakdown of the family.Perhaps we should suggest that the birth of children should only take place within marriage, and that all sexual intercourse outside of marriage should be abstained, that is, by means of contraception.Under such circumstances, a husband should learn to be a tolerant lover, just like an oriental eunuch.The problem with this approach is that, on the one hand, it requires us to go beyond reason and believe that contraception is reliable, and on the other hand, it requires us to go beyond reason and believe that the wife is faithful.However, this issue may be resolved before long.Another situation that is compatible with the new morality is that patriarchy is degrading as an important social institution, and the state is replacing the father's duties.When a man thinks of himself as a father and loves his children, he sometimes volunteers to support his wife and children financially, but he is not compelled by law to do so, as fathers are today.At that time, unless the country considers this a normal phenomenon and can pay more attention to children's upbringing as it does now, all children will be in the same situation as those illegitimate children who don't know their biological father now.

There are several things that are crucial if we are to restore our old morality, some of which we have done, but practice has shown that these alone are of no avail.First, the education of young girls should make them stupid, superstitious, and ignorant.This goal has been achieved in those schools run by the Church.Second, extremely strict censorship was imposed on all books dealing with sexual issues.This goal has been approached in England and America, since this scrutiny, without legal changes, has already been tightened by the growing zeal of the police.

Although the above conditions are met, they are obviously not enough.In fact, it is enough to do only one thing, which is to prevent young women from having any chance of personal contact with men: prohibit young girls from going out to work; strictly prohibit them from going out unless they are accompanied by their mother or aunt; The phenomenon of dancing; it must be stipulated that it is illegal for an unmarried woman under the age of 50 to own a car.Perhaps, there is another wise approach: let all unmarried women receive a monthly physical examination by a police doctor, and all those who lose their virginity will be thrown into prison.Naturally, contraception was strictly prohibited, and it was illegal to dispute these rules when speaking to unmarried women.If these measures are strictly enforced for 100 years or more, we may be able to eradicate those little moral behaviors.I think, however, that the police and the doctor must be eunuched in order to avoid evil.Given the inherently corrupt nature of men, it might be wiser to take the policy a step further.I think it would be better for moralists to argue for the castration of all men, except those priests who live a monastic life.

From this point of view, no matter what our attitude is, there will always be difficulties and imperfections.If we think that a new morality should be introduced, then we should go further than the new morality and solve problems that people do not agree with.Moreover, if we attempt to impose in the modern world those restrictions which were previously practicable, we must have a very strict set of rules.Of course, human nature is quick to rebel against such regulations.It stands to reason that no matter what the dangers or difficulties, we must strive for the world to move forward, not backward.To do this, we need to create a genuinely new morality.What I mean is that duties and rights should be recognized.Although such rights and obligations are quite different from those recognized by the predecessors.As long as the moralists preach a return to a dead system, it is impossible to make the new liberty moral, or to propose the new rights which the new liberty entails.I do not think that the new institutions should obey impulse as easily as the old institutions did, but I privately think that the occasions and purposes for restraining impulse should be different from those of old.so.I will revisit the issue of human sexual morality in the following chapters.

(End of this chapter)