Herland what true equality really means

While many people were extremely disappointed with the outcome of Herland I felt that overall the book was written well. I mean this in the sense that even although Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an outspoken feminist of her time, she did not write about men as simply evil human beings. All that was really desired from the women of Herland was to be treated as equals to their new male counterparts. This is best symbolized in the relationship between Van and Ellador who treat each others as equals. The whole idea of having a successful marriage and a successful society is simple: everyone is equal. Sure Jeff was well intentioned in his marriage to Celis, but the biggest mistake he made was that he put her too high on a pedestal. While I’m sure this elevated position is great every now and then, being told how beautiful and perfect one is must get old and lose its meaning when it becomes commonplace. This doting behavior also makes Jeff seem to be a lesser being by contrast with Celis which is in stark contrast of what equality really means. If equality means all people are treated as equals then elevating one to a loftier place like a pedestal makes the relationship unequal. This explains why, in my opinion, this book was really well written. Gilman did not use it to create a situation of reverse disenfranchisement against men even though that tends to be the thinking behind some attempts to correct society’s wrongs. She, like many people who followed her, simply wanted to be treated as equals in the world.

The sad truth is that even in today’s world the issue of equality is still being debated. Statistics show that in the workplace female workers make around eighty cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn even when both have the same education and qualifications. What is even more shocking is that many people believe the notion behind wanting equality is to create reverse discrimination. Yet this notion could not be further from the truth. All most people want in life is to be treated equally from childhood through old age. People just want to be treated fairly by others. Gradually, though, society has gotten better in the sense of seeing and treating all more equally. While there have been many bumps and sometimes setbacks along the way I believe that eventually everyone will be seen as equals and treated on the basis of their merits rather than their gender, race, creed or national origin. This, again, is why even though the ending of the book Herland is somewhat of a disappointment, the overall message from the book is a good one that should not be lost on the reader. Equality simply means that all people are equal. Period.