Five feminist books from around the world

My theme this March has been feminist literature in recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March. The books I have featured explore feminism in different countries and cultures around the world, from ancient history to the present day. Here’s a round-up - click the hyperlinks to explore my full reviews.

Women & Power by Mary Beard

In Women & Power, Beard draws on her unparalleled knowledge of the classical world to list numerous examples of the struggles powerful women have always faced, both in the ancient world and in the modern age. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) prejudices society holds against women in positions of power suggest that society views them as occupying a space that is not theirs to hold. Beard encourages us to become aware of these prejudices and says that this knowledge is the first step in solving the problem. On a more positive note, Beard acknowledges how far we have come in the last century – from being unable to vote to seeing female British Prime Ministers – and expresses optimism following the widespread #MeToo movement which drew attention to the everyday sexism all women still experience.

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

A seminal work of feminist literature, The Second Sex was highly controversial when it was published in 1949. It is a deep dive into what it is to be a woman, arguing that women are not unequal to men but just different. Despite this distinction, De Beauvoir outlines numerous ways in which society was holding women back in favour of men, much of which is still familiar today. The Second Sex has inspired numerous future feminist writers to examine the philosophy of feminism and womanhood.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

I Am Malala was published just two years after 15-year-old Malala was shot by a Taliban jihadist for campaigning for girls’ education in Pakistan. By the time she was shot, she had already spent years working on her campaign – she had blogged under a pseudonym for BBC Urdu documenting life as a girl under the Taliban, given television interviews, been featured in a documentary, and received Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize. Her shocking attack drew worldwide attention to her work – the opposite of what the Taliban intended – and she has continued to achieve extraordinary success in her campaign for all girls to receive an education.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

Kim Jiyoung is representative of a typical woman of her age in South Korea. As part of the typical life she leads, she experiences thousands of gestures, words and systems that indoctrinate the message that boys are superior to girls and that men are superior to women. The anecdotes in Jiyoung’s story are backed up by footnotes throughout the book, citing articles and research papers, including an analysis showing that South Korea was the worst place in the world to be a working woman as of 2016. On the bright side, this book gained wide popularity almost as soon as it was published, as it clearly resonates with people around the world.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This short book has a simple message: feminism is for everyone, the reason being that we are all harmed by the traditional narrative of what it means to be a man or a woman. Subtle differences in the way society treats the different genders feed into gender inequality, such as girls being taught that they must always adapt themselves around men, and men being taught that they can never show weakness. Adichie also seeks to dispel the negative connotations associated with the word ‘feminist’ and argues that real feminism equals equality. Adichie believes that a feminist outlook would enable everyone to be their true selves and live their lives to the full, concluding that there is no reason why we should not all, in fact, be feminists.

So there we have it

Five feminist books from around the world exploring feminism in five different ways, all linked together by the common goal of achieving equality for women.