Males and Females at Quidditch - and why this could be more than just a "Flint"

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 185215

> Miles:
> Despite that, we see at least two chasers in the World Cup final 
who are 
> female (Ivanova and Mullet), we see many female players on all 
positions in 
> the Hogwarts teams, and an all female team in the English League 
(the 
> Holyhead Harpies). (all information from the Lexicon)

Zara:
We do not actually hear of female Keepers or female Beaters (except 
on the professional, all-female Harpies team, which it seems is the 
only team of its kind and for all we know, recruits more widely and 
aggressively to maintain its odd composition and thus picks up the 
rare witches that can play the "male" positions adequately). For this 
reason, I tend to think Rowling gave the point you raise some 
consideration. 

As you say, the possibility of female Seekers make sense. Being light 
on  a broom might help, and things like visual acuity and focus would 
be greater advantages that bulk and strength (and are not unevenly 
divided among the sexes).

I think Rowling intended the Chaser position to be seen similarly as 
one for which females might be well-suited. Speed and agility in 
broom flight are desirable attributes for the position, and (lighter) 
females may have an edge. I think that one is supposed to avoid being 
hit by Bludgers, rather than to be so big and strong one shrugs them 
off. 

Both Beater and Keeper would seem to be positions in which males 
would have an advantage. Beaters hit the Bludgers with bats, which 
would seem to give players with upper body strength an advantage. 
Keepers, all other things being equal, presumably are better if they 
are taller - the greater reach associated with being tall should 
allow them to better cover goals.

So, I think Rowling did think this through (some).  I also think she 
is not an athlete, and not a big fan of Quidditch. <g>

> Miles:
> We do not see many female 
> professionals who have both a job and a family (maybe there are, 
but AFAIR 
> we can't be sure),

Zara:
We can be sure, but they are bit characters. The reason for 
Marietta's decision to go to Umbridge is that she was worried about 
the job of her mother, a Ministry employee. Mrs. Edgcombe is 
therefore definitely a working mother.

> Miles:
> and witches who seem to cancel their jobs after 
> they married (Fleur?). 

Zara:
I would not consider Fleur a good example. Her previous job was some 
sort of internship or part time position with Gringotts "to eemprove 
her Engleesh" - was it even a position of unlimited duration? I don't 
think we are told - she might have been out of work before her 
marriage, and put off searching for a new job in light of the 
takeover of the Ministry. We see Tonks is already married, and still 
an Auror, in the same book. 

> Miles: 
> But JKR thinks she shows us a world with emancipated women. 

Zara:
I think she does. Just not one in which they are featured.

> Miles: 
> IMO, she does not succeed. Because if we do not know any woman in 
the 
> Potterverse who can coordinate job and family (which is one of the 
key 
> problems of women's (and men's) emancipation), we can assume that 
women 
> don't have good chances to have both. 

Zara:
We could assume that, but I don't think we have to. Instead, we could 
look at other negative evidence from the text and conclude that 
working women are quite able to have families in the Wizard World. A 
major character of the series, Hermione Granger, is both vocal about 
social causes, and the daughter of two working professionals in the 
Muggle world. Just as she observes, and is shocked by, the presence 
of what seems a form of slavery in Wizard society, I presume she 
would equally observe and disapprove, a low status for women in her 
new society. 

Personally, on women's equality issues, to me the "feel" of Rowling's 
wizard world is that of a place where opportunities are open to 
women. I never doubted, by PoA or so, that Hermione and Ron would 
hook up, and Hermione would still have a career. (The latter is not 
strict book canon, but it was certainly what I assumed after I read 
DH, based on how I read Hermione and womens' situations in the WW).  
I agree this availability of opportunities is not shown through the 
presence of lots of characters and institutions that address the 
issue, (like the stay at home dad with living wife you mention 
missing, or a more prominent working mom, or descriptions of 
institutions such as daycares, or back to work programs that give 
older witches the chance at careers which their longer lifespan might 
enable even if they do devote a couple of decades to raising 
families, etc.) But the book is not *about* women's issues. So I 
personally don't see Rowling as failing to depict a world where there 
is equality, I'd just say she does so very much in the background of 
her story.