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'Difference' the Future for Feminism? Women’s Studies Int. Forum, Vol. 17, Nos. Z/3, pp. 187-201, 1994 Copyright 0 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Pergamon Printed in the USA. AI1 rights reserved 0277-5395194 $6.00 + .OO CHANGING WOMEN IN A CHANGING EUROPE Is ‘Difference’ the Future for Feminism? CHRISTINE DELPHY Philosophie Politique, Economique et Sociale, URMCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villejuif, 27, rue J.J. Rousseau, 75001 Paris, France Translated by Diana Leonard Synopsis-There are elements, in different contemporary feminist writings, that indicate a ten- dency to ground women’s rights on their “difference.“This is not new, but what is new is the implicit claim that women should retain all the parental rights over children. This raises the question of the exclusion of half humankind from the care for the young of the species, but also that of the undue power of all adults over all children. This trend toward a new “mothers’ right” is examined in three areas of feminist intellectual production: attitudes toward new reproductive technologies, recon- structions of human evolution, and the tendency to glorify motherhood as “sacred bond.” Since its re-emergence in western countries in needs to be nominalist in political matters. 1968-1970, the contemporary feminist move- Feminists are those who call themselves femi- ment has of course evolved. But it has not nists. It is not up to me, or anyone else, to been a unitary evolution, which is why it is award or withhold the term as if it were a ti- so hard to write the movement’s history or to tle. The other, more substantial reason why I draw up any sort of balance sheet. There are accept the variety of feminist accounts is the contradictory sets of ideas on almost every continuity which exists between feminism subject, and, depending on the weight you and nonfeminism. give to this or that position, you can define Feminism could be defined as solely some- the general direction (or more modestly, the thing different: as involving a total breaking dominant direction) taken by the movement away from other discourses. But of course it in completely different ways. is not and does not. To define it in this way Although we may appreciate that the would mean cutting back the content of femi- meaning of this confusion will be under- nist discourses considerably, removing their standable only ‘after the event,’ it is nonethe- global character, and leaving them unintelli- less very frustrating-given average life ex- gible. It would be an even bigger error as re- pectancy- to have to tell ourselves that we gards the history of ideas- and history full must wait a century or maybe two before we stop. For no movement of ideas is a pure op- can understand what is happening under our position, a pure denial. All contestation of noses, and that we must resign ourselves to value X relies on value Y. And for people to the fact that history as lived is confused and be able to ‘rely’ on them, these values must illogical. exist. Moreover, faced with upheaval in the field If feminism, like other progressive move- of feminist ideas, with unexpected develop- ments, is to denounce the oppressive charac- ments and priorities, it is difficult to think ter of our society-if it is to be able to de- that these incongruities are due to chance, nounce it-it must rely on progressive values: and that there is not some logic to them. on, for instance, the values of liberty and Because this is a critical essay, it might well equality. But feminism alone did not invent be asked why I accept all the various accounts these values, even though it participated in as being ‘feminist.’ I do so, first, because one the debate around them and contested the 187 188 CHRISTINEDELPHY dominant definitions of such concepts from but the contemporary emphasis on affilia- the start (e.g., during the Enlightenment). tion/ties of descent does seem new.) These values continue to exist even when so- l It tends to demand special rights over an- cieties remain oppressive. So all contestation other category of human beings: children. in our society rests on contradictions within (At this stage in the evolution of the ideol- it, and reciprocally, though not synony- ogy of women’s specificity, what is new is mously, all societies are contradictory, which that motherhood and its idealisation have is why opposition is possible. become a shield, behind which advances But if feminism is continuous with the val- [disguised] a refusal by women to share the ues of our society, this means that it is contin- ownership of children with men.) uous with all its values, including its nonpro- The maternal demand is thus a demand for gressive values. specificity based on maternity, and, recipro- This article is therefore concerned not cally, motherhood is what specifies women. with ‘the one and only’ form of feminism, nor This reciprocity clearly shows the central with all the various sorts of feminisms, but problem posed by all ideologies of differ- rather with one aspect of the configuration ence, whether they apply to women or to which is feminism today. The aspect dealt other groups. Specificity allows a group to with here is not an organised tendency, com- demand exorbitant rights (in the juridical parable to the ‘tendencies’ of militant move- sense, i.e., rights which exceed those they are ments, but rather an intellectual tendency to given by law) - rights which are not accorded be found in varying degrees in sets of ideas to others. But the other side of the coin is that found in various parts of the women’s move- the same specificity requires the group to re- ment, and in varying degrees in individuals. nounce all other rights, for instance, com- It is this last point which most concerns mon treatment. This certainly seems to be me. It is the third reason why we must take happening at the moment. The mother- account of certain discourses, whether we hood-the ‘maternitude’ or the mothering - call them feminist or not. They are more than which marks out women, is the basis on a tendency to be found isolated in this or that which some feminist tendencies are currently group. They are a general ‘temptation’ which claiming exclusive ownership of children. exists more or less strongly, more or less These individuals and currents unquestion- manifestly, and more or less consciously in ably set great store by this acquisition. But all of us. whether they are aware of it or not, their ap- proach is certainly not objectively compati- MATERNAL DEMANDS ble with other feminist demands based on universalism, and in making this demand This tendency or temptation is not something they are implicitly renouncing full member- which is explicitly formulated as such in spe- ship of the human species. In addition, there cific books and articles. Rather, it is a hy- is the equally important problem that they pothesis about what various texts probably are demanding ownership, not of goods, nor have in common. I think we can find certain of their own bodies, but of other human common elements scattered in writing on dif- beings. ferent subjects and in diverse campaigns and I briefly outline just three examples of the actions, and that together these form a whole very diverse concerns within feminism which which I call the ‘maternal demand.’ This de- show evidence of the maternal demand: mand is defined by three aspects: 1. the concern with new reproductive tech- l It tends to base women’s rights-women’s nologies claims for liberation-on women’s speci- 2. some feminist reconstructions of human ficity (and not on their universality, i.e. not evolution on women being members of the human 3. the sacred bond species). l It tends to base this specificity on women’s I. The concern with new reproductive particular function in reproduction. (This technologies is hardly a new theme in the history-of ideas Many Feminists-American, French, En- about women or in the history of feminism, glish, Australian, Quebecois, and others are Difference/Motherhood 189 currently studying the new reproductive in reality which gives any substance whatever technologies. With relatively few exceptions, to such prophecies. Macho intellectuals their attitudes toward them range from fairly might want to do it, but there is no evidence negative to apocalyptic. they are actually researching doing it. Above Some disquiet about reproductive technol- all, there is no evidence they have the means ogy is certainly legitimate. Are those who to do it. The goal Corea and others attribute seek to have their eggs removed by laparos- to them when they evoke the spectre of ‘gyno- copy and then re-implanted in their uteruses tide,’ is the elimination of women thanks to able to make a really informed choice? Do artificial wombs. But the snag is that, as yet, they know the risks involved in the operation not a single artificial womb exists. The ma- and its very low success rate? Because re- chine is far off being created, even if men search suggests the answer to such questions wanted it made. The longest anyone has been is ‘No’ (see Laborie, 1988, and Marcus-Steiff, able to keep an embryo in vitro is a few 1986), criticism is clearly justified. days-which is a far cry from the requisite 9 But it could be asked if this is something months. And even if men could produce such specific to surgical interventions to ‘remedy’ a machine, imagine what it would cost-and sterility or whether it does not also apply to even more how much it would cost to pro- many other (if not to the majority of) medical duce millions of them! Can we really imagine interventions.
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