Oldal 104 [104]
IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
power is held by women in the family, while being in the hands of men in
society due to “creation” (as they were the sole proprietors of science, literature,
music, etc. until recent times). As a result — just as Subject no. 17, having a
background in social sciences, suggested —, if women step forward as creators
in society, public opinion holds that the terrain of men might ebb, especially
if they are equally participating in childcare and domestic tasks. Also, they
have expressis verbis referred to the already present phenomenon of so-called
"norm violation"?! in modern society:
History is irreversible. Young adults (both men and women over 20) find this old,
traditional division an object of ridicule. It can be obstructed, even on a political
level, but the main direction will remain unchanged. (Subject no. 17, social sciences)
We need to treat the above analogy carefully however. Showalter finds it
"dangerous to place the body at the center of a search for female identity [...]
1he study of biological imagery in womens writing is useful and important as
long as we understand that factors other than anatomy are involved in it."??
Besides, if we were to found our arguments on this, and we would accentuate
the main role (first role, privilege) of women in society referring to their bio¬
logical differentness, we would essentially further reinforce the mechanism
maintaining the status guo, which has virtually created the hierarchical, de¬
terministically considered division of gender, based on said biological differ¬
ences. Ihis means we would result in the same, albeit from the opposite direc¬
tion.
CONCLUSIONS
My gualitative analysis — which has inter alia examined female scholars with
regards to their identification with female identity — shows that a part ofthem
— especially those I have classified into the 4th group (those favouring “clas¬
sical equality”) — finds the appearance of the “particular ontological viewpoint
of women”? in science necessary or important, because they consider them¬
selves as being primarily present on the forums as representatives of their
scientific field and themselves. This attitude can nonetheless lead to the rein¬
forcement of existing norms and binary oppositions. Another part of the in¬
terviewees, however, expressed a much stronger identification with the cluster
of women, they thus intend to advance the growth of female numbers among
the DScs of the MTA as well as the academicians in some shape or form (though
not always with positive discrimination necessarily).
#1 Neményi: Szülői feladatok, 244.
222 Showalter, E.: Feminist Criticism, 189.
293 Cf. Harding: Whose Science? Whose Knowledge?
s 102