After reading Wittig's article on how woman is not only a reference to one's sex but also a cog in a oppressive social system, I couldn't help but agree. It is not so much the term woman but the meaning.
What does it mean to be a woman in American society?
It is to be a second class citizen, to be submissive, and to be the ones who are oppressed. By being a woman in this society you are obligated to follow certain social expectations.
What is the solution offered by the author?
Wittig's solution is one that involves breaking away from the categories of sex, destroying such categories, and the rejection of sciences that utilize these categories.
Unfortunately I feel that her solution is near impossible. The categories of man and woman are in the very language we speak. It is the biological difference between men who have a penis and women who have a vagina. Yes it may lead to oppression but is it not a fact that anyone in power will oppress? I think what the author means to destroy is the expectations placed on women. Why do I think this? Simple, just because you are a lesbian does not mean you are not a woman. Likewise for men, just because you are gay does not mean that you are not a man.
Instead of criticizing the author's solution I would like to change and improve upon it.
The real solution to defeating the heterosexual social system is changing our minds and thoughts on our expectations on the other sex. In other words don't judge by sex but by individual works. Don't expect a member of the same sex to conform. Most importantly do not conform to your own beliefs of what you as a male or female must do due to the fact that you are male or female. You should do what you believe must be done. Don't be lazy of course. By looking at each other as human beings and not as male or female we not only get rid of the heterosexual social system but we also end up treating each other both male and female as equal.
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