IIRC, Eliezer once said that when he first heard of feminism, he was flabbergasted that a concept as basic as “women should be treated as equals” would need a special word to define it. This mirrors my own experience, and I think the confusion of the SPHEW witches captures that initial dumbfoundedness very well. I realize it’s a perk of male privilege to be that unaware of sexism, and no girl would’ve made it to her early tweens unaware that her gender is systematically treated worse. I consider myself a feminist nowadays, and the SPHEW arc has held a special place in my heart since it was first published, in part due to the culture shock of the witches as they learn how muggle women have been treated and how they’ve had to fight against it. It’s probably akin to the shock Harry felt when learning of the wizarding world’s medieval political/judicial system, but this time we’re seeing it from the outside side.
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