Adams Eve and Wunderbra...

On Notions of Original Sin and Contested Gendered Power

August being Women’s month saw a resurgence of numerous extended gender debate and dialogue around South Africa. One example in particular was the conference in Cape Town held by the Confederation of South African Workers Unions (Consawu) and its some 27 affiliates. The conference culminated with a march to parliament where a petition of rights and proposals was presented. In addition, a booklet was released that identifies human dignity, equality, slavery, and child and forced labour as well as issues and rights affecting women in the workplace in general, and the constitutional rights of domestic workers in particular.

Just recently, I debated the notions of gender and equality using the contested example of Original Sin, with a self-acclaimed free thinking individual who suggested that perhaps it was Eves feminist urge that spurred her on to take a bite out of the apple. And that, by inference, Adam was then easily persuaded to giving in to the temptation. If women are to take negative credence as asserted by Eve partaking in the forbidden fruit, then this, it turns out is certainly no tribute to men either.

If, at the basis of patriarchy is the eternally perceived sin of Eve in engaging the forbidden fruit, and enticing Adam to partake in the same, one might ask a rather obvious question (and often we lose sight of the obvious), i.e. why was Adam silent in all of this? Must Adam be assumed a passive compliant without the basis for rationale and beyond the knowledge of right and wrong? And so the story goes. The universal femme fatale is given credence. By manmade inference, the silence of Adam is understood to have been divinely sanctioned. And the sacred texts are thus convoluted by patriarchal explication. History is writ as a conclusive script. And both men and women are cast in their respective roles, playing out convenient stereotypes well in advance, to keenly encourage their non-subversion from the status quo.

And what exactly does this all mean for contemporary gender debates. My first response to labels in general and that of feminist in particular is: there is a wariness with which we might assume that Eve was a feminist. From that stems the spirit of a dizzying array of questions. Can it be argued that women are inbred with a feminist urge? And more succinctly, what is it to be a politically correct feminist? Labels have long been employed as the dividing tool; political strategy and political aptness a see-saw debate. In asking whether or not Eve was feminist, it might be imperative to ask whether or not she would fit into the image of the much debated fifties bra-burning activist or the contemporary Wunderbra revolutionary. My point is that, are we indeed moving onward to a more holistic and embraced notion of the female role in society. Contemporary women identify more responsively to an engaged femininity. So then we are accosted with a number of further interrogations: Should Adam have stood up for Eve? Was Adam meant to at least make a stand for himself so as to not engage in sin? Did Eve indeed take a bite to assert feminism? And, finally dare we assume at all that Eve was a feminist?

The measure upon which to decide is whether or not the Adam/Eve biblical metaphor serves as an adequate gender framework for contemporary relationship dynamics and if it does indeed transfer along historical and archetypal memory as a continued script. Human growth must proceed towards a fully realized potential, and this cannot be achieved without an equal platform of psychological and social encouragement for individuals of both genders. A mutually beneficial framework needs to be asserted within the social network in general and the relationship sphere in particular in order to maintain this encouragement, and this requires a relearning of many prior and deeply entrenched socialization features that inherently feed both mouths of the twin-headed monster of male domination and female subordination.

Lets face it, a self-respecting Adam, should have stood up for himself. And not quite so simply succumbed to temptation. And if he did, then universal heirs of the victim persona should not be passing blame. Indeed, what a waste this would be if Eve did, in fact, take a small bite for womankind. The challenges facing women in the socio-economic sphere are yet to be ironed out, and gendered spaces made a uniform place of opportunity for one and all. In order to ensure this, we must begin by questioning our pretexts, our understanding of male and female roles in society, and by unearthing our deepest set prejudices.