Feminism and the Creation of a Female Aristocracy

Modeled on the principles of feudal society, the feminist enterprise of designing male and female social classes has been several centuries in the making. Well before Marx and Marxism the feminist tradition was orchestrating its own version of the long march through the institutions of society, agitating for social and legal changes that would ultimately free women of most responsibilities while leaving men's responsibilities unchanged or increased.Peter Wright explores the nature of political feminism and the rhetorical devices that have proven so decisive for the success of the movement. Among those tactics are appeals to women's biological vulnerabilities and the necessity of male chivalry to secure women's protections and rise in status.