Book review : Women and Power, a manifesto by Mary Beard

Book review : Women and Power, a manifesto by Mary Beard

The first book I finished this year was Mary Beard’s manifesto on Women and Power. I was quite skeptical when I first read the title, as I do not agree with most modern feminists’ opinion about equality. While I believe men and women deserve equal pay, I also believe men and women have differences, strength and weaknesses that can be explained by science and that contribute to certain traits.

This book, even though very short and small, is carefully written, with reference to historical facts to examine women’s relation to power. While some historical references that Mary uses may go back to almost 3000 years ago, they are shockingly relevant to modern situations. She opens up by referring to the first recorded example of a man telling a woman to ‘shut up’, using Odysseus and Penelope’s story. She continued by using various examples how power (and speech) were (and still are) men’s domain and therefore women who take the role of speaking in public, or take power, are deemed as unfit, unreliable, and often treated with hostility. She discusses how some women in power, have to force them selves to sound and look more masculine to be seen as a reliable leader. From the queen who practiced low pitched voice, to Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton who wear trousers and have short hair, to Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May who refuse to fall into this trap by maintaining their fashion statement (Margaret Thatcher with her hand bag and Theresa May with her leopard shoes). Even though these seem trivial, it surprised me how much I can relate to these facts, that even I, as a woman, might unconsciously see these female leaders in similar ways (unreliable, unfit, and do not belong in politics), because of their fashion statements or their low pitched voice (I do remember commenting on Theresa May’s shoes). Then I thought, if I want women to be more involved in all sorts of discussions, shouldn’t I change the way I see and perceive the women I work with and the female leaders that we already have?

Comparing male and female politicians, it is quite interesting to see how Theresa May and Hillary Clinton were bombarded by memes that I mostly find offensive as a woman. While, I rarely find such ridicules for male politicians, and they are often ‘excused’ when they make a mistake (Mary also provides examples about this very clearly using British Politics). Mary, interestingly only refers to western cultures and politics and is very careful in discussing other cultures (i.e Asian).

I find Mary’s explanation very relatable as I remember very clearly when I was about to run as the head of students’ association, how much hatred I got from my peers, and from fellow female friends as if they saw me as unfit for the role. I was the first female student to run for the position, and despite my good track record, I was still seen as unfit, perhaps simply because I am a woman.

In my opinion, this book is an excellent read for women to understand more about what it means to be equal with men and what it takes to be seen as a strong, independent woman with a mind of our own, because it means we will get ridiculed, told to shut up, get forced to hear explanations about the things we already know, and often, get harassed. I also think this book is a very good read, to change the way we see our female friends, co-workers, and political leaders, to be more objective and to empower each other. As there won’t be equality for women if women do not see each other’s success as something to celebrate, together.