Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.06.2004, Blaðsíða 10

The 19th Century Russian radical and writer Chernyshevsky claimed that women
had been so long subjugated to men that mere gender equality was no longer enough,
that men should now take their turns as underdogs. To prove his point, he insisted that
his wife be with as many other men as she wished, whereas he would remain loyal and
true.
Olga, the prettiest girl in Saratov, considered this an appealing prospect. Even if
the nihilist was neither attractive nor good conversation, he would supply a steady
income and otherwise let her do as she wished. In their nine year marriage she boasted
of many affairs, most notably with a Polish émigré in the alcove while her husband
worked in the same room. When the nihilist was convicted of treason, she eventually
came to Petersburg for his trial, but went shopping and to the opera before visiting
him. Their relationship ended with his exile to Siberia. His feminist novel, What is to
be Done?, has been described “with reason as the worst novel ever written,” but was
a huge influence on Russian nihilists. One of them, Nicholas Shelgunov, took the idea
even further. When his friend Michael Mikhaylov, who was having an affair with his
wife, was sentenced to exile in Siberia, Shelgunov insisted he and his wife go with him
so that the two lovers could be together.
Is it perhaps now men´s turn to be the underdogs? Could it be that they even deserve
it? Is it, perhaps, inevitable? If women are used to working twice as hard for half
a chance, it would follow that once they achieve actual equality, they will advance
quicker, and should before long find themselves in more positions of authority. Has the
battle for women´s rights been won, or do we still have a long way to go?
We asked four young people (including my aging self ) for their thoughts on
the situation for women in Iceland today. So, in the manner of a reality TV show, let
me say: Two guys, two girls, four points of view.
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