Should "masculine" and "feminine" be scrapped as astrological terms?

Question

Could these not just as easily and in fact more accurately be described as extroverted/introverted or aggressive/passive? My point of course is that not all extroverted/aggressive people are male and not all introverted/passive people are female. And doesn't this terminology tend to be somewhat misogynistic towards women who have dominant extroverted signs in their charts, or emasculate men with lots of introverted influences in their charts. Is this sexism in astrology?

Answer 1

Hi R_a, call me sexist, but I like this term.. because they are essentially masculine and feminine. The world is getting androgynous nowadays, and its cool for a man to be feminine and a woman to have masculine traits.

Although I agree that extraversion and introversion is less sexist, BUT then the archetypal descriptions still hold in this regard. Now are you calling extroverted male and introverted female? They are the same thing, actually. Just a different label.

I feel pretty masculine as a woman, and I'm not shy about that. Now hear me roar! Except I have no Leo planets, so it comes out as a meow, LOL!

Answer 2

I kind of feel the same as the others...it never really bothered me about using the terms 'masculine' and 'feminine' in astrology...and like Rachstar, I never really associated them as literal male and/female.

I also agree with Spica :, in the sense that I am 'masculine' for a woman and not afraid to admit it...actually kind of proud to be strong in that sense...lol...not a Leo but I am a Sag...lol...

I also appreciate these terms because they sum up the descriptions of passive/aggressive and extrovert/introvert without having to go into long descriptions and explanations....kind of self explanatory if you ask me.

But then again (probably because I am a Sag), 'political correctness' is not one of my strong points...I don't like stereotypes but at the same time, people are always trying 'sugar coat' what they are really trying to say just gets on my nerves....just say it! I know that some are bothered by harsh words and comments but I would much rather someone tell me exactly what they think without 'beating around the bush' about it....if you want to be nice then it should be without effort, same goes for the negative as well....less confusion and time consuming as well...lol!

;)   Though that's just me, your typical Sag who normally sticks her foot in her mouth, accidentally, lol...

*** LOL*** Mercury in Scorpio...I agree,...Say what you mean...lol...!

Answer 3

Are you politically correct?

I can't imagine this bothers too many people.

Answer 4

The cliched terms of masculine and feminine present a certain image and certain attributes. Women can have masculine traits and vice versa. They are quite antiquated terms in my opinion and a revision would be a good idea.

Answer 5

Well, it never really bothered me all that much, because I have never exactly associated masculine with male, and feminine with female, even outside of astrology. I took them more as terms to relate to a certain personality type or character....so there could just as easily be masculine females and the other way around...But at the same time, I can see how that could be demeaning in a way...Assuming that women cannot be aggressive and boyish, while still being very feminine and fully women at heart. I suppose that it really doesn't matter if you call them masculine or feminine..yin or yang...extroverted or introverted...It's really just words to describe the characteristics of those signs. So there will be people that may find it offensive, and others that feel that we already try too hard to be politically correct, and that maybe we shouldn't take these things too much to heart.

Hi r_a73! I think you bring up a good point. : )

Answer 6

It used to bother me initially when I first got into astrology,but after awhile I realised it clarifed a complexity within myself.You see, I have mostly air and fire planets,and my sun is an earth sign and my asc is water.So for me I tend to express that 'masculine' energy that I feel strongly in an less than obvious aggressive manner.I don't feel it's in conflict with my being a woman,I feel it adds an certain extra.Personally I wonder if that's more the case with alot of people,understanding the nature of the energies (masculine,yang,dynamic and fenimine,yin,magnetic) and how each person deals with and expresses that within themselves and outwardly in life.I don't feel it's sexist,to me it embraces our complex natures and yes explains alot of why people are the way they are,learning to understand and accept it,instead of feeling ashamed,bad or out of place with what ever society rams down our throat as 'normal'.We are what and who we are.

Answer 7

Hi no belief required :)

That's a good question.

Well, I'm inclined to believe that they shouldn't...A lot of words have a totally different meaning when used for scientific, religious or literary purposes, etc. Just because some people don't delve enough into the way these words are used in Astrology, that doesn't mean they promote sexism.

If a student doesn't work hard enough to understand a concept, for example, that doesn't mean that the books they have to study are wrong, lol

I hope this makes sense now...It's the people who should be adjusted to the theory, not the theory to their cultural habits. After all, if you think about it, "feminine" and "masculine" still differ between people according to the standards of every culture.

So why should not Astrology have its own definitions for them?

~Just a thought

Answer 8

I would think that, eventually, those terms will be scrapped, as our societal conception of masculine and feminine change, but for now, this description of the energies associated with the signs is still accurate.

I don't consider the terms misogynistic toward women because it describes (in my opinion) something physiological, not psychological or social...a woman's body and physical energy are inherently different than those of a man's, and that does not lessen or diminish their characteristics or abilities.

Eventually, as the genders become more biologically androgynous, those terms will become antiquated.

You're just a forward thinker.. ;-)

Answer 9

While I agree that sexism associated with these terms should be avoided, I don't think that these terms should be scrapped.

I believe that 'masculine' and 'feminine' are very important terms. To me, the simple fact of the matter is that men are on average more masculine and women are on average more feminine. They express, on a very base and ancient spiritual level, two sides of the spectrum of this world. On one hand men are unarguably more aggressive, and on the other hand women are unarguably more passive. There are many other simple differences between males and females that express both masculine and feminine qualities. Of course, every individual can possess either masculine or feminine qualities, it isn't black and white, but on a deep level there are two pure expressions - masculine and feminine.

The fact of the matter is that feminine men should not be seen as lesser men, and masculine women be seen as stronger women. I don't know if you personally view it this way, but this is obviously an incorrect way of thinking. Masculine is not better than feminine. They are both equal and they are both as equally important in this world we live in - physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The only way that it could be seen as an insult to call a person 'feminine' would be if you thought being feminine was 'weak'... and this is not what feminine means at all. The only reason these terms might be viewed as sexist would be if you thought one s*x and the qualities associated with it was worse or better than the other.

If people truly understood what 'masculine' and 'feminine' mean as expressions of yin and yang then there wouldn't be a problem as to whether or not they are bad to use. Just because people use them incorrectly does not mean they should be scrapped. They should be used and explained until people truly understand them.