Sexism is not confined to
men. Non of us are immune from the effect of the cultural
conditioning There are men and women, gay and straight, young and old
who maintain sexist attitudes and are overt or covert in expressing
them.
It would be surprising if secularists were
very different from the rest of the population, we are all formed by our
culture. But it could be expected that people whose views put them
apart from the majority of public opinion on religion if nothing else,
call themselves freethinkers and rationalists would be likely to have
considered the effect upon society past and present in excluding women
and would be less sexist than the general public.
Who are secularists? What other dominant
themes make people likely to be atheist and reject religious attitudes
and prejudices, and the discrimination that flows from them? Jews,
homosexuals, ethnic minority peoples and women. While there are many
Jews and gays in the movement, people from minority ethnic
backgrounds are usually close knit communities that often have
strong religious affiliations, there appear to be few women - a stranger
phenomenon!
The movement has a list of honorary associates who
agree with the stance of secular humanists. The list printed in the New
Humanist Summer 2002 stood at 52. Of that number 5 were women. This
reflects the educational and employment bias of the past, but it is time
that the movement recognised more women atheists. If women
journalists such as Polly Toynbee, Joan Smith, (both of whom are now
associates) Mary Riddell and the many eminent women scientist and
writers are anything to go by, there is no shortage of women who "have
the stomach to use the forthright, uncompromising language"
or do not "choose
to pussyfoot around with subjects that are of little interest" to
the male freethinker. Nor are women writers any more likely to
demand payment for writing for the journals than are men, as has been
said! (comments made about women from an influential freethinker)
Nothing in this audit says anything about the
relative stances of the organisation and their effectiveness, far from
it. The current differences may flow from different recruiting
policies, but where there is a significant discrepancy between the men
and women involved in them, their practices and attitudes must be
questioned.
We have no control over the extent to which
the organisations to which we belong practice sexist policies or harbour
sexist attitudes, that restrict women's ability to participate. By its
very nature sexism prevents us from influencing matters until such time
as we can change the structures and/or attitudes that affect us. This is
but one way of letting anyone who practices or supports sexism inside
the secularist movement that their activities are not going unnoticed or
unremarked.
It is also important to make it very clear that
there are some practices that pose as anti-sexist that actually make
things worse. Notably the promotion of women regardless of their actual
commitment to secular humanist ideology damages the reputation of women
secularists. When women are promoted within the movement, only because
they are female and not because they are good secularists plays into the
hands of those who want to exclude women, on the grounds that they are
less able or less committed.
Definitions:-
'Institutionalised' - more
than personal prejudice, it is where the procedures and structure of an
organisation, favours discrimination against individuals or a group of
people on irrelevant criteria.
'Sexism' - Is prejudice and
discrimination against women on grounds of their gender. An assumption
that they are inferior to men and that their place is in the kitchen and
not as equals in discussion and decision making.
'Feminism' - is the word for
those of us who uphold the right of women to equal status and value. We do
not accept that women should continue to be treated unfairly because
they are women by individuals , society, or the state, and that women
have a right if not a duty to participate fully in all the social and
decision making institutions. In any given situation the correct position
is that women are not inferior to men and the male perspective
is not "the norm".
'Secularism' is the movement
that ensures freedom for religion, and freedom from religion,
and demands that the state be neutral in matters of religion. Not
favouring or subsidising one religion or sect over another, or any of them
over the non-believer. It does not exist to get rid of religion, but for
those who want to believe in the supernatural, it should be a private
matter between consenting adults, not a dominant factor in public life as
it is at present day Britain.
Most secularists are atheists who are aware of the hideous history of
religion through the ages, and its malign role in human affairs, including
its role in war and the oppression of women. At all levels sexism
discriminates against women, personal, family, community and state level,
religious attitudes as to the role of women, result in their exclusion not
only from its own institutions, but from decision making institutions of
all kinds.
'Sectarianism' is the
opposite of secularism. It is the domination by one religious
sect, cult or group to the detriment or exclusion of others, of other
sects or no religious belief. It is not against private belief, but
against the distorted thinking of superstition and its dominant political
position maintained by privilege, advantage or state bias.
The curse of sectarianism, has had devastating consequences for
human kind. Millions have suffered and died in the name of religion, in
internecine warfare, inquisitions, conquests such as those of the
Conquistadors in South America, the Crusades Inquisitions and wars in
Europe, and missionary conquests on every continent. All in the name of
the great god of war and the men who fought for his supremacy. Women have
been at the forefront of the suffering caused by their exclusion from
rightful participation in the running of society.
For more definitions of Atheism, Secularism and Secular Humanism on
Teachers Notes on www.c.s.e.freeuk.com
See also www.secularsites.freeuk.com
& www.workshop3.freeuk.com
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