So, I was thinking about the section in Castiglione where he talks about courtier women. He says it is simply their goal to be chaste. Castiglione explains well here that it is due to the fact that women carry children, which are the lineage line, that they must be more careful in their sexual acts than men. Whether this seems fair or not, it is true. Women, especially in an age before modern contraception, did have more of a consequence from sex. This brought about a modern idea for me, women often say that they want to be the equals of man. I believe this to be impossible. Men and women are biologically different and nothing will ever change that. It is about pursuing equity not equality. Some may say that is simply a game of semantics, but...
According to dictionary.com:
equality ~ the state of having uniform character
equity ~ the state of being fair and just
I know which I would prefer...but, hey that's probably just me...
I agree with you. We are definitely different and will never be equal. However, just because we aren't equal doesn't mean we are less capable and inferior. That's my beef.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that this passage is about women carrying children (wow, what a breakthrough) and then there is a passage about how women are mistakes and that nature would like to constantly bring about men. Would this be possible without women who's job it is to carry children? Aarrrrgggghhh
The idea of the power of speech and women also connects, no? Suggesting women are "unchaste"--then and now--has different consequences than it does for men. Thoughts?
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