Men are supposed to "stand up like a man" for what they believe or value, including the simple assertion of their self-interests. Women are instead supposed to "stand by your man." The maxim "stand up like a woman has no serious meaning. It conjures up imagery that is, at best, merely humorous. There is no doubt which model of behavior as exhibited by which gender receives the highest honors in Western public culture.
Marilyn Friedman, "Autonomy, Social Disruption, and Women", in Catriona Mackenzie and Natalie Stoljar (eds), Relational Autonomy: Feminist Perspectives on Autonomy, Agency and the Self, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
1 comment:
Reading this I had a mental image of a woman sitting demurely with her legs neatly crossed (like a "lady"), all 1950s style.
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