Multiculturalism and feminism
Is multiculturalism bad for women? Many feminists think so, but before outlining
their objections it is important to acknowledge the affinities between the two
ideologies. First, both stress the importance of recognising difference, and criticise
liberalism for advancing an empty, characterless conception of the human agent.
Second, while both stress difference, there are many feminists and multiculturalists
who argue against essentialism – women’s experiences and cultural experiences are
not homogeneous: difference should not be defined in binary terms as them and us.
Experience is heterogeneous. Third, at a more practical political level, feminism and
multiculturalism pose the two main challenges to class-based politics, and thus to
the traditional or classical ideologies of liberalism and socialism.
Despite these parallels it is not difficult to come up with – sometimes quite
shocking – examples of the oppression of women in the name of culture (or the
protection of culture). We present some below. All are drawn from minority
practices in Western societies, but it is important to distinguish how a multi-
culturalist might defend the practice: (a) as a ‘permission’, meaning that the practice
should not be prohibited by law; (b) as prohibited but where in law a person might
raise a cultural defence in mitigation; (c) where the practice should be illegal, and
the cultural defence not apply, but where a person would not be prosecuted for
procuring something abroad (see forced marriage and female circumcision):- Polygyny The right of the husband to have more than one wife (polygyny) is
not mirrored by the right of women to have more than one husband (polyandry).
The wives of a husband are often seriously materially disadvantaged and many
women regard the practice as humiliating. (Polygyny is illegal in most Western
societies but a cultural defence may be applied.) - Forced marriage This practice contradicts a fundamental right to order your
private life by choosing your own partner. It is also the case that the daughter
is often very young – 12 or 13 – and the prospective husband much older – in
his twenties or thirties. - Female circumcision (also known as genital mutilation; clitoridectomy) This is
practised in 25 countries and affects eight million women worldwide. It is illegal
in every Western country, but women who send their daughters abroad for such
an operation are often not prosecuted. - Male violence It is, of course, a criminal offence for a man to inflict violence on
his wife or children. However, there have been cases in several Western countries
where the sentence passed has been less severe because the man has used a cultural
defence, especially where the behaviour of the wife or daughter has been perceived
to bring dishonour onto the family. - Access to resources There are cases of immigrant women being discouraged from
gaining access to the resources enjoyed by the majority culture. One justification
for making the acquisition of English a requirement of British citizenship is that
men can no longer prevent their wives from acquiring language skills. - Segregation justified on religious grounds Religious groups – including the
Christian churches – are exempt from certain kinds of anti-discrimination
Chapter 15 Multiculturalism 349