Penis and the Pen

I know from my studies that there are feminist discourses that believe language is gendered male. I also know that there were writers, such as Mary Ann Evens a.k.a. George Eliot, that wrote under male names in order to get published. It makes perfect sense that in a world where men have decided just about everything, that language and authorship would be male as well.

The term “painful obstacle” seems to be harsh when used in the same sentence as gender. I agree that women writers have little to model their work. I also agree that it has been difficult for women to create a genre of their own in the hierarchy of patriarchal views of authorship, but every domain has been difficult for women. Rather than trying to break free of the male gendered language, it should be used to create an understanding that the male way is not the only way. After all, it would be said in a language they understand.