Brems’s reading focus on the feminist and cultural relativist position to determine the differences and similarities in their claims. Her argument on the different positions of feminists gives an accurate comprehension of the different positions of feminists and relativists. She identifies three types of feminists; liberal, cultural, and radical feminist. The liberal feminist advocates for the equal treatment of men of women by eliminating discriminatory practices in structural institutions; on the other hand, cultural feminist takes into account the real differences that exist between the different sexes and value these differences[2]. These differences make women more vulnerable to violence, including sexual violence. Cultural feminists advocate for the recognition of these differences and the acknowledgment of the reproductive rights of women. Radical feminists advocate for the radical changes that aim at dismantling the patriarchal society that promotes women’s discrimination[3]. Radical feminist believe that the public and private dichotomies have been upheld to promote male dominance and when these dichotomies are broken down, women will have the same opportunity as men. Regardless of their position, the feminists perspective aim to include women in the human rights system. Human rights need the feminist perspective as some of the practices in their lens are male-dominated and aim at discriminating against women. With the inclusion of the female perspective in the human rights system, these discriminatory practices would be eliminated, and men and women would be equal.
Cultural relativists argue that human rights are based on the western world. According to Brems, cultural relativists argue that the right to practice one’s culture should be a priority. Women’s rights perspective is not given serious consideration as they are believed to be based on the western world[4]. Brems accurately notes a significant difference that the acceptance of the feminist perspective is accompanied by cultural relativist rejection. The feminist perspective rejects the cultural practices that discriminate against women. Cultural relativists advocate for the inclusion of cultural practices of different people in the human rights system. These practices might be discriminatory to the equal rights of men and women that the feminist movement advocates for. A similarity in the critique of the female perspective and cultural relativism is that they both want changes in the human rights system. They believe that human rights should include the rights of all humans regardless of their gender and culture. To empower the disempowered human rights system must not be gender or cultural blind. They should integrate the rights of all people irrespective of their gender, sexuality, or culture. The LGBT community complement the vision of feminism as it fights for the rights of all people regardless of their sexuality. In Brens’ reading, concepts are accurate as readers can easily comprehend the similarities and differences between cultural relativists and feminists.
Moreover, Brens gives examples of feminist success in Un Conferences and advocates for feminist and cultural relativist to unite. With the introduction of world conferences, the feminist movement clarified what it advocated and tried to push its claims to the forefront. Brens gives examples of different UN conferences, such as the World Conference on Women in Beijing, which was formed in relation to the feminist movement. Through the different conferences, feminists have become more successful in creating more awareness about their concerns and translating them into existing rights[5]. On the other hand, cultural relativist has not had much success as there are concerns that what they advocate for might perpetuate the discrimination of women. Although there are dissimilarities between the cultural relativist and the feminist perspective, these differences are not profound as they depend on the respect of the critique of these various movements. Brens notes that human rights should aim to improve people’s lives and benefit people regardless of gender or culture. Brens states that if cultural relativists and feminists focused on what they have in common, they could develop a more powerful constructive critique of the human rights system, which would change the current human rights[6]. In the reading, Brens successfully identify the differences and the similarities between the feminist and cultural relativist through a clear and logical manner.
The reading by Binon focuses on human rights from the female perspective. Binon clearly states the disempowerment of women in the different sectors and gives a statistical account of the representation of women in these sectors. Binion concentrates on women’s experiences in marriage, labor, property ownership, and sexual repression to understand human rights. Women are economically disempowered as they receive 10% of the income and own barely 1% of the property[7]. In a world where women account for 51% of the population, they are continuously discriminated against as they are not given power. Various studies that have been undertaken to investigate women’s disempowerment all complement the study by Binon that women are economically disadvantaged. In the political arena, women hold only 5% of positions in the government sector[8]. In the education sector, women are educated at half the literacy levels of men and are not given the same education opportunities. The gender inequalities that exist in society affect the literacy levels of women as females are not given a safe space to learn or given a chance to access a higher quality of education. In marriage, women also experience discrimination as violence and rape by their husbands are viewed as usual. It is acceptable for men to rape their wives and discipline them by violence if they deem so. These practices discriminate against women and increase the levels of gender inequality.
In addition, Binon identifies the dichotomy that fuels women’s discrimination. Battery, intimidation from voting, rape, and imprisonment are not regarded as violations of human rights, especially when conducted by a family member. The state assumes that family members are immune to the legal system when they perform such acts. Binon states that these individuals should be held accountable for any actions that promote discrimination and violence against women regardless of whether an individual is a family member[9]. They believe that family is private and separate from human rights thus promoting gender discrimination. Another dichotomy that Binon analyses is culture. The integration of culture in human rights aims at promoting gender roles and discrimination against women. As stated by Ehrt, gender roles contribute to oppression and discrimination of women as they dictate which roles women should perform, thus promoting gender inequality[10]. Binon argues that cultural relativists dismiss gender issues which are cultural, and the integration of culture in human rights must be cautious not to promote gender inequality[11]. The feminist movement advocates that cultural practices should be included in the human rights system but should not be a rational for undermining the rights of women.
In the article, Gender is where the Feminist and LGBTI Movement Meet, Ehrt examines the different sexual orientations and misconceptions surrounding the LGBT community. Similar to women, the LGBT community experiences discrimination and violence. The lack of knowledge and the misconception that exist regarding this community have fueled these discriminatory practices and violations that inhibit them from living a dignified life. Ehrt arguments are clear and lucid as they explain the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation involves who an individual is attracted to, while gender identity is about how an individual experiences their sense of gender[12]. A common misconception surrounding gender identity is that people have a fixed gender, which might not be true for other people. Gender identity changes throughout an individual life as they might feel more comfortable identifying as a particular gender. Society believes that the body in which an individual is born defines their gender, which in turn defines their gender roles which is not true. The notion that sex defines gender has forced many individuals into gender-confirming operations so that their bodies can match the sex with which they identify with[13]. Gender confirming surgeries have led to normalizing surgeries on infants, children, and sometimes adults, and this surgery is often performed without their consent, thus violating their rights.
Furthermore, gender roles negatively affect gender identity. In the article, Ehrt gives a clear and logical example of how gender roles perpetuate gender identity. According to Ehrt, gender roles have continued to increase gender inequality as women are seen as inferior to men[14]. Women are given subordinate positions in the workplace, while men are given managerial positions. To reach the same levels as men, women have to work twice as hard as men. They often have to prove that they have the same abilities as men and can perform the same tasks. They are less independent and are paid less compared to men. The feminist and LGBT community have had various campaigns to dismantle the belief that an individual’s gender should define their roles in society. These beliefs promote gender inequality among individuals and lead to discrimination of individuals in society. People who deviate from these patterns that have been for a long time normalized by society are often subjected to violence and discrimination as they do not conform to what society believes as normal[15]. By human rights system integrating the feminist perspective and the LGBT community perspective they can achieve equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This will ensure that everyone lives a dignified life free from discrimination and violence.
Lastly, the feminist movement and the LGBT community have the same root cause as they both fight against the ill-treatment of people based on their gender and sex. The LGBT perspective greatly compliments the feminist perspectives as it advocates for the equal rights of people irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Although human rights are universal, they do not integrate the rights of specific groups such as the LGBT community and women that suffer from discrimination and violence[16]. The gaps in human rights are all about the sex and gender of an individual, which gives an opportunity for discrimination and violence to alleviate. To integrate sex and gender identity issues in the human rights system, these issues can be easily tackled as they can ensure that they fight against the ill-treatment of people. It does not matter the sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual everyone has a right to live without fear of stigmatization or discrimination. The feminist and LGBT perspectives complement each other and fight for reforms in the human rights systems to include the right of people from this community. The article by Ehrt clearly shows how these perspectives are interlinked and how they can help achieve equal rights for all people. The two concepts are clearly outlined and explained in the article, which allows for easy comprehension by the reader.
In conclusion, the inclusion of the feminist perspective in human rights is vital to ensure the equality of men and women. Based on the article by Brens, if cultural relativists and feminists focused on what they have in common, they could develop a more powerful constructive critique of the human rights system, which would change the current human rights. By changing the current human rights system, the inequalities against women would be dismantled, and women would be given an opportunity to improve their quality of life. The second reading used in the paper is the reading by Binon, which looks at the women’s experiences in different sectors. By identifying these experiences, Binon can offer a clear and logical perspectives on the inequalities and oppression that discriminate against women. Binon further identifies the various dichotomy that fuels discrimination in women. Violence, intimidation from voting, rape, and imprisonment are not regarded as violations of human rights, especially when conducted by a family member. The state assumes that when a family member performs such actions, they are immune to the legal system. The last article that is examined in the paper is by Ehrt. The article clearly shows how the feminist and LGBT perspectives are interlinked and how they can help achieve equal rights for all people. By integrating the feminist perspective and the LGBT perspective in the human rights system, all people would have equal opportunity and a chance to live a dignified life.
Bibliography
Binion, G. (1995). Human rights: A feminist perspective. Hum. Rts. Q., 17, 509.
Brems, Eva. “Enemies or Allies-Feminism and Cultural Relativism as Dissident Voices in Human Rights Discourse.” Hum. Rts. Q. 19 (1997): 136.
Ehrt, Julia. “Gender is Where the Feminist and LGBTI Movements Meet. Here’s Why.” World Economic Forum. Last modified 2019. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/07/gender-where-feminist-movements-and-lgbti-movements-meet/.
[1] Brems, Eva. “Enemies or Allies-Feminism and Cultural Relativism as Dissident Voices in Human Rights Discourse.” Hum. Rts. Q. 19 (1997): 136
[2] Brems p.138
[3] Bremns p.139
[4] Brems p.140
[5] Brems, Eva. “Enemies or Allies-Feminism and Cultural Relativism as Dissident Voices in Human Rights Discourse.” Hum. Rts. Q. 19 (1997): 136.
[6] Binion, G. (1995). Human rights: A feminist perspective. Hum. Rts. Q., 17, 509
[7] Binion p.511
[8] Binion p.511
[9] Binion, G. (1995). Human rights: A feminist perspective. Hum. Rts. Q., 17, 509
[10] Ehrt, Julia. “Gender is Where the Feminist and LGBTI Movements Meet. Here’s Why.” World Economic Forum. Last modified 2019. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/07/gender-where-feministnmovements-and-lgbti-movements-meet/.
[11] Binion p.523
[12] Ehrt
[13] Ehrt
[14] Ehrt, Julia. “Gender is Where the Feminist and LGBTI Movements Meet. Here’s Why.” World Economic Forum. Last modified 2019. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/07/gender-where-feministnmovements-and-lgbti-movements-meet/.
[15] Ehrt
[16] Ehrt
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