Wahre und Falsche "Fauen-Emanzipation"

Wahre und Falsche "Fauen-Emanzipation", which translates to "True and False Emancipation of Women," is a book published in 1899 and written by Augustin Roesler (1851- 1922), a German theologian, redemptorist and publicist. In the book, Roesler explains his ideas of what rights women should or should not be given. The book consists of an introduction, followed by three main chapters that each focus on distinct aspects of a woman's life, and a conclusion. While explaining the problems of the Frauenfrage, also known as the woman question, Augustine Roesler bases his arguments on quotes from the Bible, metaphors or direct quotes from women or men of his time. Roesler was seen as revolutionary, because he was one of the first Catholics to criticize that women and men are not treated in a balanced way. More specifically, Roesler, on the one hand, demands that women deserve more rights than they have in certain fields, but on the other hand he argues that their rights should only be enough to help with her task as a mother and wife.

Historical context

In the 19th century, the common view was that woman and men are biologically and mentally different, and thus ought to fulfill distinct tasks in life. Men were assumed to be more intelligent and expected to work during the day, while women were thought have better morals and thus it was their task to raise the next generation and manage the household. Education for women was limited to fields that were seen as typically female, such as dancing, drawing and the knowledge of different languages. Concerning sexuality, men were supposed to be dominant and approach women, but not the other way around. A marriage could only take place once the man was able to afford the ceremony, which is why men who could not afford to marry a woman, often chose to pay prostitutes for sex. The prevalent problem of prostitution during the 19th century is one of the issues that were discussed in context of the women question.

Augustin Roesler was the first German Catholic to discuss the woman question from a catholic viewpoint. In 1893, Roesler publishes his first book "Die Frauenfrage vom Standpunkt der Natur, der Geschichte und der Offenbarung" as a reply to August Bebel's book "Die Frau und der Sozialismus". Whereas Bebel demands that women and men are to be treated as socially equal humans, Roesler denies that both genders are equal, and stresses that a woman's freedom lies in the ability to fulfill her tasks of a mother in the best possible way. In 1899, Roesler was invited by Dr. Franz Hitze, to discuss the woman question at a conference called the "Praktisch-Sozialer Kursus" in Strasbourg. Roesler's speech was published in a magazine called "Arbeiterwohl", which motivated him to spread his ideas further. He decided to write the book "Wahre und Falsche Frauen-Emazipation" containing the same messages as the speech, but with a more detailed discussion of the topics of women at medical university courses and women's voting rights.

Content

Introduction

Roesler emphasizes that the woman question concerns men and women equally and that the problem will not be overcome without the involvement of men. This is why, the author says, that the woman question could as well be called the "Menschheitsfrage", or the question about humanity. By pointing out that a sickness cannot be cured without knowing what a healthy state looks like, Roesler points out why the book is important, as it explicates what a balanced, hence healthy relation between men and women is. A balanced relation, for the author, is not one, where both genders have equal rights, but one where each gender can best fulfill the tasks that God has intended for men and women. Women are biologically different and thought to have other talents than men, therefore it is important for Roesler that women merely focus on these talents. Taking this further, Roesler claims that women who take over men's chores, do not only perform worse than men, but such women ruin their own worth, because they pay less attention to their valuable gifts as women. For Roesler, these female strengths are all linked to the one purpose of every woman, which is to be a caring mother. Important to note, is that in his perspective, being a mother does not necessarily mean to be a biological mother of children, but could be any job where a woman cares for others as if they were her family. Roesler states that a woman who is able to succeed at developing these female strengths is a woman who is free. Accordingly, for Roesler, liberty is not the absence of all rules, but rather the ability to move freely within certain boundaries. More specifically, these boundaries need to allow a person to achieve his or her duties, but at the same time restrict everything that goes beyond this. To support this claim, Roesler uses an anecdote of a fish in a water tank. The author explains that a fish is less satisfied when it moves beyond its natural boundaries, hence out of the water and on the land. Additionally, the author states that the fish, even if it had the capacities to do so, would not feel deprived of its rights when knowing that it is not allowed to go on land, but would rather enjoy its freedom inside the water. Roesler says that the same is to be thought about women and their rights. The author's core message is that women need those rights that help with the tasks as a mother, but any rights that go beyond this would only mislead and hinder her, thus they should be constrained. This line of reasoning may be seen throughout all chapters, where the author applies his idea of liberty in different scenarios of a woman's life.

Liberty of women as single persons

In this chapter, the author goes into themes of a woman's life outside of the marriage, such as work, possession of property and education. Roesler grants women the rights that help her to be a good mother, such as the right to become educated in the fields of medicine and teaching but argues against those rights that hinder her in doing so. As another important example, the author explicates that on the one hand, women in the workers class need to spend too much time at work and thus fail to invest sufficient energy into the task of being a mother. On the other hand, he notes that some women in the educated class are not given the rights that they deserve, as they are deprived of work and do less than they could at being influential as a mother. As a solution to this problem, Roesler calls for better rules in the regulations of working hours of women.

Liberty of women at home and in her marriage

Here, Roesler mainly focuses on the importance and the natural drive of women to marry. He explains that only women who are in a valid Christian marriage, have guaranteed motherly rights for their children. Furthermore, the author notes that women can only use their full potential as a mother in a marriage that lasts until death, since woman can put more energy into the family if they do not need to fear a divorce. To show that the Christian marriage indeed gives women the guarantee to have a husband until they die, Roesler names several examples of high leaders whose requests to divorce were denied by the pope. This assurance of an enduring relationship, as Roesler puts it, is one of the most genuine kinds of liberty that a married woman deserves.

Women as public citizens

The central topic of this chapter is not only the right of women to vote, but also their involvement in the making of laws and regulations. Roesler uses women's great influence at home on the formation of children's morals as an argument against all involvement of women in the law and politics. The author claims that this involvement, next to the moral influence on the husband and future generations, would enable women to shape society more than men, leading to an unbalanced relation between the genders.

Conclusion

The author uses the last pages of the book to remind the reader of the love and care of the holy Mary, and further explains that the birth of Jesus is the highest ideal of womanhood.

Influence and reception

Roesler's call for more rights for women, even if these were limited, were seen as too liberal by many other bishops of his time. The author's efforts to speak to other men, with the aim to free up some space for women in order to allow a more liberal development, was seen as revolutionary. Furthermore, Roesler influenced the common view, by including a picture and appreciation of women independently of her marriage and family, as single persons. Nevertheless, his traditional view on gender differences and the idea of fixating women to the task of being a loving and gentle mother and wife was criticized by many leading women of the catholic women's movement. Especially Hedwig Dransfeld and Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne disagreed with arguments, such as the claim that women are morally superior, but less able to think logically, even if it was not intended by Augustin Roesler to depict women as inferior to men. Moreover, Joseph Mausbach, who specialized in moral theology, criticized Roeslers viewpoint. But as Hedwig Dransfeld comments, he eventually came to similar conclusions.

Roesler was a Christian pioneer who dealt with the woman question and even though he demands to limit women's rights in his book to an extent that does not apply any longer in the year 2018, he was able to reach many people with a message that aimed to re-establish a balance between men and women and to in turn give women more freedom in their personal life, as a wife and as a mother.

References

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