Even use of the term “patriarchy” just seems to turn off most people these days, as it has become perceived shorthand for expressing blame and excoriating criticism of men while generally ignoring how harmful it is to them, too. Patriarchy is poisonous because it has convinced everyone that “yangism,” or exaggerating the value of traits associated with masculinity and further deformed by a dominator mentality, is somehow the recipe for respect and success.
Why has feminism failed to create true parity thus far, and instead, often become yet another way people divide against each other? Feminists fought for and were grudgingly given a green light for women to pursue some of the benefits that most men have enjoyed as birthright. These include education, voting rights, and permission to compete for positions of power and authority outside of the only role within which women have traditionally been allowed power: mother.
This brings me to the area of politics and women. As we saw in 2016, there was a great eagerness among many people to see Hillary Clinton become the first female president. However, I don’t think you have to do much scratching below the surface to see that her political policies aligned themselves with some of the worst aspects of “yangism.” As Secretary of State, she supported positions such as world-wide fracking and numerous military interventions. Whether she took these positions to show strength or because she actually believed they would be helpful doesn’t matter—she represented the status quo, and I believe this is the reason she failed. We must look deeper than the obvious category of gender. We must look toward embracing policies that support the qualities currently missing in our culture that would relieve the unnecessary suffering perpetuated by the notion that rugged individualism is an attainable, superior goal, and that we can continue to plunder Earth’s resources without consequences.
This year, we are again facing a choice that will determine how we either continue to support profound imbalance, or course-correct and choose a way that will bring about the kind of change necessary to survive and thrive. The truth is that we already have the means to address the problems we face—what we don’t yet have is the commitment to allocate our resources and energy in this direction. Even on a symbolic level, if the majority of our taxes are funding the war machine, how can we expect peace?
It might be tempting to assume that political centrism would be the right choice for balance. Again, however, we must look deeper than the rhetoric that embraces a return to status quo as “normal”—something we just need to “get back to.” No—we are in crisis because thousands of years of lopsided values brought us here, and we are really only just beginning to acknowledge that this is not sustainable. Further, we are still not attending to the root cause!
Yin feminism is a direct way of considering and addressing a standard that will restore and replenish life on both an individual and cultural level. Sadly, it appears that we are not yet ready in our society to see a woman in the ultimate position of power who is not upholding the yang status quo. Let us consider what is most important, nourishing, and enlivening, and see what seems to block the ability to access and implement it. As individuals, we have limited capacity to do this if our systems are allocating all our resources for the opposite intent. Now is the time that great change is imminent. Feminism must shift into a clear recognition that what is allied with the feminine—restoration, nurturing health and well-being, emotional depth, and interdependence—is not something to disassociate from in order to garner respect. We must embrace these qualities, live them, and vote them in.
Kathleen Ivanoff holds a master’s degree in Gender Studies and another in Clinical Psychology. As the former program director for Jewel Heart, she worked closely with Gelek Rimpoche to establish the teaching curriculum and taught various courses in Buddhist meditation. She currently teaches creative writing at EMU and has a private counseling practice. To contact her, email kathleenivanoff@gmail.com.
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