Sorority is called solidarity between women due to gender status.
The closest etymological antecedent of the term sorority is the English word sorority , in turn derived from the medieval Latin sororitas (which referred to a "congregation of nuns" ). Sororitas , meanwhile, came from the Latin soror .
The first meaning of sisterhood mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to affection or a friendly relationship between women . However, currently the most common use of the concept refers to the bond of solidarity established by members of the female gender in the battle to achieve empowerment .
History of the notion
It is usually indicated that the Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno was the one who proposed the use of the word sorority. In texts that he published in 1921 , he indicated that it was necessary for there to be a notion equivalent to fraternity (centered on the relationship between brothers), but focused on the sisterhood of women. Thus he proposed using words such as sororal and sorority .
Only at the end of 2018 did the RAE add sorority to its dictionary. Since the advance of feminism , its use became popular in multiple areas.
Feminism promotes sisterhood.
What is sorority
To understand the idea of sorority, we must take into account that men enjoy a position of privilege with respect to women. Men earn more for the same job and access management positions more easily, for example. Women, in addition, tend to be victims of sexist violence .
In this context, the fight for gender equality is a cause that has acquired great social importance in recent decades. Sisterhood, in this way, is the solidarity between women within the framework of this process of vindication.
It is understood that women, simply based on their gender , face common problems. Sisterhood assumes that you understand each other and that you must support each other.
How it works
Sisterhood implies a kind of agreement between women. With sorority as a starting point, they establish an agreement that enhances social activism and political action to promote change in communities and eliminate gender discrimination .
There are those who emphasize the ethical component of sorority. By recognizing each other as peers, women forge positive connections and ally themselves to become stronger in a context that is hostile to them.
In everyday life, sisterhood appears when a woman approaches another woman who is being harassed in public to support her, for example. Also when he defends someone who suffers harassment on social networks , to mention another possibility.
Criticisms of the idea of sorority
It cannot be omitted to mention that several activists and thinkers have expressed criticism of the concept of sisterhood. This is because, by extolling female equality, it leaves aside the differences of sexual orientation, class and race that exist.
Therefore, it is sometimes noted that sorority is actually oriented towards solidarity between white- skinned and heterosexual women who are part of the middle class. It is likely that someone from said group will not support the claims of a poor woman with black skin or a lesbian who lives on the street, so sisterhood, in these cases, would not encompass all women.