The Church and the Second Sex by Mary Daly (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 567 The Church and the Second Sex. By MARY DALY. New York: Harper & Row, 1968. Pp. 187. $4.95. The new self-awareness of the American woman who is both Catholic and professional is well illustrated in The Church and the Second Sex. Dr. Mary Daly, assistant professor of theology at Boston College, knows the past. But, far from becoming immobilized in the realm of fact, she is radically open to the possible in an area of aggiornamento which is often by-passed. A chief obstacle to the eradication of antifeminism is the lack of awareness of many women that such a problem exists. Dr. Daly uses the two volume work of Simone de Beauvoir as a point of departure for both the title and thesis of her book. She traces the denigration of woman that was easily accomplished by the approach to Scripture, particularly Genesis, which predated the recent biblical revival. In regard to the New Testament she carefully points out that the " statements which reflect the antifeminism of the times are never those of Christ.... What is very striking is his behavior toward them. In the passages describing the relationship of Jesus with various women, one characteristic stands out starkly: they emerge as persons, for they are treated as persons, often in such contrast with prevailing custom as to astonish onlookers." (p. 37) Elsewhere in the New Testament the social condition of woman at the time of Christ is reflected. That the influence of the Weltanschauung of the community at large rather than the personalist example of Christ dominated is quite evident in the writings of the Patristic era. In Medieval times vitriolic statements were rare, but despite some notable exceptions woman fared poorly. Dr. Daly refers to Peter Lombard, St. Bonaventure and others, but she gives most attention to the stance of St. Thomas Aquinas who saw woman in her own nature as misbegotten, but not as regards human nature as such, for she is " included in nature's intention as directed to the work of generation." (p. 49) The faulty scientific understanding that viewed woman as merely passive in the role of generation led St. Thomas to hold that, because the father is the active principle in generation, he is to be loved more. Thus Dr. Daly shows that an erroneous biology, the generally accepted exegesis of the texts of Genesis and the Pauline epistles as well as the prevailing sociological condition, that is, the subjection of woman-all can be detected in Aquinas's statements supporting the traditional view of women. The author notes, however, that St. Thomas supports this view of woman even though his theological understanding of the image of God in the human being and of man's last end as well as some of his philosophical positions form a basis on which the true equality of men and women could be established. Dr. Daly stresses the importance of the industrial revolution in feminine emancipation. It must be remembered, however, that in its early stages the industrial revolution brought untold suffering to women who were 568 BOOK REVIEWS employed for long hours in factories and mines. It was through the democratic process that women were finally freed from this economic subjection. Ultimately, new opportunities were opened to women in the civic and economic spheres. Yet, papal statements for the most part, even in our own century, fail to appreciate the problems of women. Dr. Daly calls attention to the ambivalence of the statements of Pius Xll. John XXIII and Vatican II mark a significant change in outlook. Dr. Daly believes that this horizon-shift leaves no room for retreat. This in spite of the fact that some are trying to revive an " eternal feminine " approach which makes of woman an immutable symbol, yet at the same time fail to accept individual women as persons in the true sense of the word. Ordination to the priesthood is seen not only as a distinct possibility but as the sign of genuine equality. Dr. Daly sees the theological root of antifeminism in the problem of " conceptualizations, images, and attitudes concerning God." (p. 188) Her concern is particularly focused on the concept of God as...