作者 ｜
俞彥娟(中央研究所歐美研究所)
摘要 ｜
二十世紀美國女性主義者推動平權修正案(Equal Rights Amendment, ERA)，禁止美國政府法令用性別的理由歧視女性，目的是消除性別歧視，理應受到女性歡迎，但平權修正案卻遭到挫敗，而且，有相當多的女反對。為什麼有那麼多美國女性反對平權修正案呢？女性反對平權修正案的原因很多，因種族、階級、教育、宗教、經濟等背景而不同。本文目的並不在分析女性反對平權修正案各種可能原因，而是希望從平權修正案反對者的論點中，探討他們對傳統母親角色觀點的堅持。再回過頭來，評論美國女性主義者的新母親角色觀。
我認為性別角色(母親角色)是反對者焦慮重要原因之一。本論文以平權修正案爭議最激烈期間(1972-1982)的辯論為主要素材，分析支持者和反對者有關男女平權、女權和母親角色的論點，希望(1)瞭解反對者對平權修正案的疑慮；(2)呈現女性主義者新母親角色的內涵以及其發展；(3)從反對者的批評出發，檢討女性主義新母親角色觀的弱點和缺失，尤其探討男女平權和母親角色之間可能存在的不相容性。
前言之後，本文分為三部分。首先，簡介平權修正案發展歷史和早期的爭議。其次，分析平權修正案反對者的論點和女性主義者的回應(response)與反駁(rebuttal)。再者，討論第二波美國婦女運動對傳統母親角色的批判和提出的新母親角色。本文的結論是，女性主義者用男女無差異的男女平權觀點無法徹底和完整地探討母親角色的問題。
關鍵字 ｜
平權修正案、母親角色、平等、差異、母職、女性主義
Title ｜
Equal Rights and Motherhood: the debate on the equal rights amendent,1972-1982
Author ｜
Yen-Chuan Yu(institute of European & American Studies Academia Sinica)
Abstract ｜
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), advocated by second wave feminists in America in the late 20th century, aimed to eradicate sexual discrimination in American laws. However, it was opposed by many women and consequently defeated in 1982 after 10 years of serious campaign. Why did those people oppose such a constitutional amendment which seemed to enhance women’s status and treatment? This article suggests that one of the major anxieties of those women who opposed the ERA is the anxiety over motherhood.
Investigating and analyzing debates between the supporters and opponents of the ERA between 1972and 1982, I am concerned with the following questions. First, I seek to understand the opponents’ fear and anxiety over the ERA. Secondly, I will review the content and development of the feminist version of motherhood. Thirdly, starting with the opponents’ criticism, I will investigate the weakness and inadequacy of feminist concept of motherhood with a particular focus on what some feminists deemed as the possible incompatibility between the concepts of equal rights and motherhood.
This essay is divided into five parts. After the Introduction, I briefly introduce the history of the ERA in section 2. Then I analyze opponents’criticism on the ERA as well as feminists’ response and rebuttal in terms of motherhood in section 3. In section 4, I discuss feminist criticism of the traditional motherhood and their new version of motherhood. The final section concludes that feminist concept of equal rights based on sameness (no difference) between men and women had not derived a theory of motherhood comprehensively.
Keywords ｜
Equal Rights Amendment, motherhood, equality, difference, feminism