The two theses Snitow develops in this essay are:

a. ". . . that a common divide keeps forming in both feminist thought and action between the need to build the identity of 'woman' and give it solid political meaning and the need to tear down the very category 'woman' (p. 9)."

b. a compromise between the two sides of the divide is currently impossible and a constant choosing between sides is tactically necessary

1. What is the divide ? Summarize Snitow's perception of it in the peace movement and politics.

2. Below are various constructions of the divide. How does Snitow define of the camps?

a. Minimizers and Maximizers

b. Radical feminists and Cultural feminists

c. Social Constructionists and Essentialists

d. Poststructuralists and Cultural Feminists

e. American feminism and French feminism

f. Equality versus Difference

3. Why does Snitow believe there is no synthesis, no way beyond the divide? Granting the assumption of such a divide, evaluate her argument.

4. How does Snitow define equality and difference (24-28)? How does practice affect the choice of an equality or difference stance according to Snitow?

5. After emphasizing the recurring centrality of the divide, why does Snitow say the divide is not universal (28-30)? How can it serve positive ends?

6. What was your reaction to the technique of alternating argument with italicized "diary" entries? Pick one italicized entry and  be able to show how the entry and related section of the 'regular' essay shed light on one another.

7.  Be sure to be able to do the following in class:  Define  Snitow's "divide".  Then, choose an issue such as women in the military, family leave for birth and adoption, single sex education (such as schools for girls and women's colleges), using battered women's syndrome as a defense in murder trials, or surrogate motherhood. Explain how different sides of the "divide" might approach that issue.