Here’s a link to a very good article on the Becker & Posner Blog: http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/index.html. 

A few criticisms: 

1. I  suspect that there’s some question on the value of comparing statistics on men and women’s representation in universities in both the US and Iran. 

2. Equity is not a goal to be pursued at the sake of freedom.  A little temperance would be nice.

3. Also, I’d like to retain my right to the same skepticism regarding female political leaders as I reserve for male political leaders.  It’s politics, let’s not too get starry-eyed.

Otherwise, it seems that through the achievements of science and technology, by way of the political structure of our country (as well as much of western Europe), and through lot of perserverance and commitment on the part of women, they have managed to not be merely in service of their own reproductive cycles, nor the deep social and moral codes that can often act to keep women from their potential.  This is remarkable.

But I just have to say, much of the emphasis on the individual, stemming from the enlightment, that has helped science break free from metaphysics, that has helped the founders do much to ensure property rights and individual rights, that has helped women achieve many of these freedoms, are conspicuously absent from feminism, one of the drivers of women’s freedoms.  Why can’t we talk about this? 

Here’s a woman that I admire, not because she is a woman, nor one of millions of college students, nor a good statistic, but because she really knows her Aristotle:  Martha Nussbaum works at a very high intellectual level.