the use of marriage as a tool against

the tyranny of men over them as an artificial and indefensible development,” Emmett said at the forum.

Women

Marriage as an illegitimate concept that was forced upon women by men to diminish their authority was the subject of a philosophical forum Thursday.

Kelin Emmett, an assistant professor at UBC, spoke on the nature of marriage at the Philosophers’ Jam forum on Thursday, sharing documents from her postdoctoral research about early modern women philosophers.

One of them was a writing called Giustizia delle donne by Modesta di Pozzo di Forzi (pen name Moderata Fonte), a 16th century Venician writer who wrote outside of the genre norms that were expected for women at the time.

In the literary dialogue that was published by her children after her death, Fonte writes about two groups of women who debate the nature of men.

“The questions of what modern readers are to make of the dialogue invites further philosophical considerations of the dialogue’s most interesting passages, many of which quite lucidly portray women’s equality and

“Fonte’s treatment of marriage specifically indicates that it can be viewed as a political institution as opposed to a natural institution, and one that was degrading to women’s political, moral and economic agency.”

Emily McBrayan, who attended the forum, suggested that marriage could sometimes be a net benefit for women.

"Some women financially benefit from marriage,” McBrayan said.

“If divorce happens, women are usually the ones end up getting men’s pension.”

Katharine Browne, the coordinator for Philosophers’ Jams, said she thought Emmett’s focus on early modern women was a needed addition to their open forums that philosophy lacked.

“Philosophy suffers from an underrepresentation of women in the field, and I thought that a Jam that highlighted women’s contribution to the discipline would be a welcome and important addition to our schedule,” Browne said.

“As with all of our Jams, I hope that the talk will prompt reflection and discussion on issues that are philosophically interesting and socially significant.”

"We live in a car-dominated environment, and our cities are literally designed around cars," she said.

“Many people associate biking with being assertive, you need to pick your space and being assertive are things that women are told not to do.”

Godber herself said she has encountered male behaviour on her routes.

"I've definitely had odd experiences, and it all unfortunately involved men, it could be male drivers, it could be male cyclists, they are very odd experiences."

It is essential to create a healthy bicycling atmosphere, and safety is a fundamental concern for women, according to Godber.

“Women have identified why finding maps and trying to navigate through the cycling routes can be somewhat challenging," said Godber.

Godber encouraged women to not be deterred by any of the challenges they might face.

“I think the more you bike, the more confidence you end up getting,” Godber said, suggesting they remind themselves that, "I belong here, the road belongs to everybody. It's a public space."

With Bike to Work week starting on the 21st, Sersli says it’s a great time to start supporting everyone’s right to bike, regardless of gender in Vancouver.

“Bike to Work Week is a great way to show support and celebrate people who bike to work,” Sersli said.

"As a society, we really need to start thinking about how we can change our physical and social environment so that women continue biking."