What's in it for Witches

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 44012

<< Although, frankly, I wouldn't hail a Dark Lady rather than a 
Dark Lord as a feminist break through, it would be nice if some women 
got to speak with authority or even work for the Ministry of Magic. >>

Er, Mafalda Hopkirk? Although I will happily concede that she wasn't 
mentioned until CoS.

However you did miss "Authors of official school textbooks" in your list of 
professions for witches mentioned in PS/SS (Bathilda Bagshot's History of 
Magic). I would also modestly propose that Madam Pomfrey may in fact be the 
equivalent of a doctor, rather than just a "school nurse". At least as far as 
her functions are presented. I do not know what the drill is in a boarding 
school on either side of the Atlantic, or in a day school in Brittan, but in 
California, all a school nurse seems to be permitted to perform is basic 
first aid and holds the diagnostic authority to see a child removed from 
school grounds to somewhere they will recieve further treatment. S/he is not 
permitted to perform full medical treatment or to perscribe and administer 
medication. Madam Pomfrey does both. I believe that she is a full "mediwitch" 
on staff.

As the series continues one notices more and more references to females in 
action within the WW. But their action is so taken for granted and the 
references to it are tossed off so cansually that it is sometimes only by a 
careful combing through the pronouns that you realize that a character 
referred to is female. (Case in point; Two of those "supurb" Chasers on the 
Irish team.) 

(As another note; somebody (not here)  has claimed that the pointing out of 
Dean Thomas, Angelica Johnson and Lee Jordan as being of (stated or implied) 
African ancestry was an addition of the American hardback of SS, not present 
in the original UK hardback. Can anyone verify this?)

I will agree that the surface narriative of the series so far presents a 
weirdly 1950s suburban culture insofar as a "woman's place" in her society 
goes, and just about every tiresome stereotype about "silly females" -- of 
any age--common to pre-adolescent boys is faithfully deployed. However, as 
soon as one looks below the surface it is evident that witches fully 
partcipate in nearly all areas of wizarding life. And this awareness is g
radually increasing as Harry grows older. 

But, generally, this partcipation is still noticed in supportive areas rather 
than in positions of authority. Whether this indicates that the ww maintains 
a "glass ceiling" or whether Harry has simply not yet come in contact with 
just how full the partcipation of witches is in it, is yet to be seen.  Given 
the pervasiveness of the female partcipation that we DO see, I suspect that 
Harry has simply not yet encountered the authoritative female figures of what 
he sees as "his" world.  

Which brings up the question;  Can the series afford this sort of 
off-handedness? Is it necessary to hold a parade every time a female 
character is mentioned? Clearly the only female character who has been given 
any real degree of development so far is Hermione, but the male characters 
apart from Harry and Ron aren't in much better shape. There are simply more 
of them.  Which is understandable in that the first people Harry noticed upon 
entering the ww were the other boys that he had to deal with. 

The series PoV is a tight focus through Harry's eyes. To date, Harry does not 
question the role of women in wizarding society. And Hermione, comfortably 
favored in her role of "top student of her year" is too busy battling on 
behalf of cats and hipogriffs, and House Elfs and half-Giants to be mounting 
any soapboxes on her own behalf any time soon. And I tend to suspect that if 
anyone does, (and I'm not counting it out by any means!) it will probably 
take Harry very much by surprise, and the person who does it may well be 
someone quite other than Hermione. Possibly someone nobody will expect.

-JOdel