The Personal is Political

Origin of The Personal is Political

Fig. 1 – Women's liberation march.

Although the origin of the phrase The Personal is Political is unknown, the term started to gain traction after American feminist Carol Hanisch published an essay with the same title in 1969, arguing that one can trace many personal experiences (especially those of women) to one's position within a system of power relationships.

Hanisch's thesis focused on men's power and women's oppression. For example, if a male partner assaults a woman, the social pressure on women plays a significant role in explaining the abuse.

Hanisch wrote in 2006 about how her original essay was inspired by her work in male-dominated, left-wing civil rights, and anti-war (Vietnam) political movements. Women's equality was paid lip service, but little attention to women's primary issues beyond fundamental economic equality. Hanisch was distraught with the assumption that women's problems were their responsibility and that it was all "in their brains."¹

In her The Personal Is Political essay, she stated that having personal knowledge of how "grim" the situation was for women was just as vital as participating in political "activities" like protests.

Hanisch clarified that "political" encompasses all power connections, not only those between governments and elected politicians.

What began as a slogan for recognising politics in everyday life quickly evolved into an authoritarian dictum. As a result, it became more apparent that a woman's personal decisions must be consistent with the politics she supports.

First-wave feminism discussed the legality of political issues for women, for example, the ability to work, vote, and hold jobs. The Personal is Political theory, however, emphasises that women's issues such as sex, childcare, and the idea of women being dissatisfied with their lives at home, are all political issues that require political intervention to bring about change.

The slogan helped shape the focus of second-wave feminism, including women's equality in sexuality, domestic life, and the workplace, among others. In short, the many personal matters weren't considered political enough until The Personal is Political slogan came to life.

Analysis: The Political Impact of The Personal is Political

The phrase The Personal is Political had a significant impact on second-wave feminism. It helped define the evolution of social analyses and ideas, inspired new types of movements, and broadened the set of issues classified as feminist. For example, the political impact of The Personal is Political slogan was central to creating groups that raised awareness about feminism and its ideas. These groups met to share their personal experiences on issues relevant to feminism and women's experiences, such as careers and parenting. These groups generated knowledge based on their experiences for future activist movements.

These awareness-raising groups, according to Hanisch, were a type of political action. She underlines that any connection with a power dynamic - even domestic - is a political relationship. During feminism's second wave, a significant turning point was women's recognition that their difficulties had a more powerful political component in response to claims that women were to blame for their predicament. Hanisch argued that the interaction of theory and practise was the key to developing good theory.

In the late 1960s, the student movement and second-wave feminism coined The Personal is Political. In doing so, they highlighted the ties between human experience and more prominent social and political structures. It was in effect, a defiance of the traditional family ideals that were in place during the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Personal is Political concept continued to impact feminist theory many years later.

Further proof of the major impact The Personal is Political concept has had on women's lives can be seen in enacted legislation in the United Kingdom.²

Impact of the Personal is Political, Vanessa Semprun - StudsySmarter

Examples of the Personal Is Political

Third-wave feminists focus on "everyday feminism," which combines feminist values and views with fashion, relationships, and the assertion of traditionally gendered talents. As a result, they elevated the status of these behaviours and deemed them politically involved and motivated. Now, based on the personal is political, they demand more political participation and attention in their movement.

The personal is political is a phrase that is still valid and remains in use today. The phrase has a strong presence in the writings of many black feminist activists, such as Audre Lorde’s essay The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House and A Black Feminist Statement produced by the Combahee River Collective.

Another prominent activist that uses the personal is political is Kimberlé Crenshaw, who writes in one of her essays the following:

"This process of seeing what was previously viewed as isolated and individual as societal and systemic has also characterised the identity politics of African Americans, other people of colour, and gays and lesbians, among others."