Equality is in the eye of the beholder
Given that this thread is headed down an impossible road, I thought I'd weigh in with a couple of opinions. I grant that it is my experience alone that bring me to these conclusions; but I believe my observations will be, if nothing else, at least reasonable ones.
First of all, I hold the belief that
men and women are created (both in
Tolkien and in reality) to be equally important counterparts. I do not believe that MOST women are equal to MOST men physically, but there are degrees of strength in both sexes that overlap. That being said, it isn't physical strength that measures a human being's value in the world. People who define their value by their strength are no better than the followers of
Melkor. As we saw in ROTK, one well-placed
sword, wielded by a very committed and dedicated woman, meant the difference between victory and defeat at the Pellenor
Fields. A woman of quality, as a man of quality, does what needs to be done and does not worry about the opinions of others.
Secondly, there is no difference in my mind between the power of a woman and the power of a man to change the world in which they live, or at least to influence and alter the course of
events in their lives. Making choices is available to both sexes, and it is our choices that define us, not our battle prowess or our muscle structure or the width of our hips. A recent example in my life is when my wife (who is my
Galadriel, my
Arwen and my
Éowyn rolled into one) bought a small gift and a card for me to give to my mom for her birthday, which I had forgotten (for the tenth year in a row). It's an extremely small example, but without her foresight and thoughtful kindness I'd have continued to fail in this area. It's a weakness of memory/character/you-name-it in me that she has gracefully bolstered with her more sensitive and careful attention to detail. While I think that many women do not receive the accolades for which they are due, I also think that the role of any worthy person is to become the best person they can be, and to attune themselves to the areas in their lives to which they can make the biggest difference. The problem is that for many, it's the accolades themselves that are most important, and this drives them to place themselves in situations that are clearly not their province for the sake of self-importance. Again...behavior of the dwellers of
Mordor among us.
Lastly...I don't care if you are an average woman or an exceptional one physically, nor do I think that being a woman makes one weak. Your value lies in your power to make wise choices and in your efforts to give of yourself your best qualities to the world and to the people who surround you.
The old phrase "the fairer sex" implies that women are in nearly every way an improvement over men in appearance, while "the weaker sex" only applies to most women's literal physical strength. The arguments that ensue following the utterance of any of these age-old
concepts are nearly always based in ignorance. The railings of anger against the so-called "male chauvinist establishment" may be due to the fact that so many angry people only hear words and do not research meanings. I find this especially true of modern feminists (with the exception of Camille Paglia), whose mission it seems is to destroy men and elevate women to a place of power over their world. Those last are the Minions of
Morgoth.
It is not wrong for human beings to desire that those who bear the responsibility of growing life within them ought not to be placed wantonly in harm's way. A
race that seeks perfect equality in all areas is likely to destroy itself from withint. Tolkien captures this essential truth powerfully in all of his
books...where the power of women is in an unalterable and proufound grace and beauty, separate and distinct from men's, without which the world would be unmade. From
Rosie Cotton's admonitions of
Sam at the end of ROTK to Galadriel's commanding presence at
Lothlórien, to Éowyn's valiance on the battlefield, women in LOTR are every bit as important and valiant as any man in the story, be they regal
elves, willful shieldmaidens, or simple
hobbits.
I've grown tired of the vitriol and hatred shouted at men who want to "protect their women" or who see women as worthy of a greater respect, who deserve our care and protection simply because of their profound and difficult responsibility as the bearers of the race. People who demand that we acquiesce to their demands for a "perfectly equal" environment for both sexes are also servants of the
Dark Lord, since their goal is to unmake a system built on union, mutual compassion, and friendship of the two sexes. It is the will of Mordor to sunder men and women from one another, thus eventually destroying our ability to live harmoniously and continue the race.
I have waxed on at length because I have thought about this a lot. I welcome your comments and thoughts on this subject.