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Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennet (first published in 2016 by Penguin Random House)
According to the Oxford Dictionary, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.
Jessica Bennett starts her book by defining a feminist along these lines, which is why it is so surprising that the vast majority of her book is spent man-bashing.
Undeniably, women (and men) face problems in the workplace, from sexist behaviour and stereotyping to racism and exclusion. However, the myriad problems experienced by men and women everywhere are somewhat cheapened by Bennett’s insistence that women have it harder at work purely because they are women.
I must stress that I do not at all disagree that women may experience these challenges, yet having chapters dedicated to the types of men to fight against and emphasising the female as a victim only perpetuate what is already a problem.
Instead of fighting the man (which is what Bennett seems to spend a great deal of energy on) we should fight the system.
Sexism goes both ways, and constantly berating men for the negative experiences to which women are exposed is just as infuriating.
Bennett explains that she wrote the book for men too, yet I can’t help feeling incredibly put off by her constant anti-male sentiment, which is only reversed at the introduction and conclusion as an apparent afterthought.
Bennett identifies the ‘types’ of men women are likely to experience in the workplace (all negative) as well as ‘fixes’ or remedies. However, many of the fixes are counter-intuitive or unhelpful (man-terrupted? Interrupt someone right back! Meeting bro-proppriated or taken over by a man? Get a different man to back you up!)
In addition, I feel it should be noted that it’s not only men who oppress women in the workplace. Indeed, all of the examples of sexism Bennett describes which I have experienced in my life have been at the hands of other women!
While many of the fixes are common-sense and about standing up for yourself (do women truly need to be taught this?!) I nonetheless commend Bennett for penning the book.
I found it infuriating and belittling to men, but I have no doubt that her heart was in the right place.
Perhaps she could do well to embrace the notion of equality and not blame only men for women’s problems, while also acknowledging that men have a host of their own problems (as a passing example, consider that men are told that it is not manly to cry, and thus not seen as weak when they do shed tears in public – forget that they are indoctrinated to never show emotion. Isn’t that just as unfortunate?).
Let’s work together to make life equal, and not against each other, eh Bennett? Stand up for your sisters, but also for your brothers. That is what feminism looks like.
Read more of Samantha’s reviews on her book blog.
If you're interested in reading this book, you can purchase a copy from Takealot.com
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