Customer Reviews

Democracy Begins Between Two

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I disagree strongly with the reviewer who posted before me. The reviewer criticizes Irigaray for being an idealist-- but idealism is important, because it is what allows us to imagine a future where our lives are happier and the world is more just. Plus, this book is full of practical ways in which to think about implementing that vision-- like a discussion of what kind of laws the European Union would need if it really wanted to treat women as though they were equal to men.

This book argues that if we want gender equality, then we need to do some serious thinking about some fundamental philosophical concepts we have, rights foremost among them. And it shows that we can't have gender equality if the yardstick for that equality is always the male one.

Luce Irigaray brings up very strong and valid points for the equality of opportunity of women in the workforce, but many of her statements seem to be of an idealistic nature. It places the responsibility on the employer to accommodate the personal desires of the employee. It also seems to remove the personal responsibility from the female employee in regards to working toward more satisfying employment. The generalized statements the author makes about women place limitations on the kind of employment she thinks would be appropriate, that the women would enjoy, and that the women would be good at. It seems as though Irigaray is saying that keeping women off of the corporate ladder is okay and completely acceptable because a women would not be good at, nor would she enjoy that kind of work.