Egalitarian Relationships in Radical Heterosexuality Essay

In this article the author Naomi Wolf does a great job in explaining radical sexuality. Also known as egalitarian relationships. In marital relationships, the meaning is typically that husband and wife have equal status in the marriage. That is sometimes defined as having equal power. She talks about there being some conditions to abide by. For example, it requires that women should be able to support themselves without the help of any man. Also the man must yield the automatic benefits presented by gender. Women give up gender benefits as well as the men. By day they fight gender injustice; by night they sleep with men (Wolf p. 155), she questions weather feminists who are in a heterosexual relationship are contradicting themselves,†¦show more content†¦In conclusion, Wolf explains that it is perfectly ok to be a feminist, hate sexism and love men. Men were able to do just about anything they wanted with their wives, until the womens movement and even then in some parts of the countries it is still the same. Prior to the Civil War married women had many duties but few rights. They were not permitted to control their property, even when it was theirs by inheritance. A husband had the right to his wifes wages, to decide on the education and religion of their children, and to punish his wife if she displeased him. (Janice M. Steil). In addition, it shows how men always over rule women. Naomi Wolf also talks about how women were not treated as human. For example, she says, In the nineteenth century, when a judge ruled that a husband could not imprison and rape his wife, the London Times bemoaned. Also, she mentions the English common law that said, a man could legally beat his wife with a switch no thicker than his thumb, and thats where she says we got the phrase rule over thumb. It seems incredible to me that they treated women that way. What most feminists want is the marriage where their partner is showing respectful treatment towards them and their children, a kindness rather than a legal right such as before or in other countries today. Therefore, All the rules that men laid down over the centuries have recently gone out the window, and were