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This afternoon I read an interesting and thoughtful literary criticism essay analyzing the Lancre witches of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series from a feminist angle. On the linked page you can scroll down a little and it's available in PDF format:

Which witch is which?
A feminist analysis of Terry Pratchett's Discworld witches
by Lorraine Andersson

Abstract:
Terry Pratchett, writer of humorous, satirical fantasy, is very popular in Britain. His Discworld series, which encompasses over 30 novels, has witches as protagonists in one of the major sub-series, currently covering eight novels. His first “witch” novel, Equal Rites, in which he pits organized, misogynist wizards against disorganized witches, led him to being accused of feminist writing. This work investigates this claim by first outlining the development of the historical witch stereotype or discourse and how that relates to the modern, feminist views of witches. Then Pratchett’s treatment of his major witch characters is examined and analyzed in terms of feminist and poststructuralist literary theory. It appears that, while giving the impression of supporting feminism and the feminist views of witches, Pratchett’s witches actually reinforce the patriarchal view of women.

The essay was written in 2006 and therefore encompasses most of the Discworld canon, though it focuses only on the Lancre witches, with no word for characters in the other series, such as Susan, Angua, Cheery, Polly/Oliver, or Sybil. It's significantly spoilery for most of the witch books, but in a general way "things end well, naturally" sort of way that I don't think would particularly ruin the books for you. Nevertheless, you might want to skim the parts for the books you haven't read yet, if you feel strongly about it. I had to skim past the stuff for A Hatful of Sky because that's the only witch novel I haven't read yet.

Overall, I agree with her criticism of the inability for the female characters to retain control over sexuality and power at the same time... all the witch characters seem to be either sexually active or powerful, but never both at the same time, including Nanny Ogg. The only one who does attain both, Magrat, seems to vanish from the books after becoming a mother. Presumably Nanny Ogg has been a witch for her whole and therefor WAS sexually active and a witch at the same time, but it's definitely worth acknowledging that we never see this actually happen for her in the current narrative timeline that we as the audience read or "see."

Andersson, the critic, sticks fairly close to this critique, while also bringing in the ways that the two strongest witches are "masculinized", made into women who 'are really men inside' by traditional definitions of male stereotypical behavior. I think it would have been interesting to read her thoughts on the Watch books, since Angua and Cheery deliberately face this issue in at least two of the books, particularly with the Dwarf culture. It is also re-addressed in a significant manner in Monstrous Regiment, though none of those books ever seem to come to a definite conclusion about whether being stereotypically "Feminine" is better or worse for the characters' fates. Does Pratchett reaffirm stereotypes while trying to say that women can be as dynamic as male protagonists? I've wondered myself, given that I've spent the last six months reading and/or listening most of the to Discworld novels.

While the criticism is valid and worth listening to--particularly about the sexuality--I don't think that it should call for a complete denunciation of the many positive feminist angles of the Discworld books. Terry Pratchett has had a wide cast of female protagonists, and while the number for men is somewhat higher, it's a lot closer of a ratio than most SF/Fantasy series achieve. And, more significantly, his witch books and books like Monstrous Regiment aren't just one female character surrounded by male supports, they frequently are inhabited by an entire cast of female characters, where the only male characters are minor players or set dressing. That's something I definitely noticed. Several of Granny Weatherwax's enemies or opponents have been female, and often her equal in power and station. So too with Tiffany Aching and Magrat Garlic. Not as much with Agnes Nitt, however (Maskerade, Carpe Jugulem.) On the flip side, there are many books who are almost entirely male: Small Gods, The Last Hero, The Last Continent, Night Watch, Sourcery,, and Jingo. Other books, particularly the Death novels, seem to have a more general spread, where the main protagonist is of opposite gender to the secondary protagonist. HOWEVER, I have noticed that Pratchett has far more male villains than female... in fact, the female villains are only significant in the Lancre books. In almost all others, the Big Bad is male, male-oriented, or nongendered/nature.

In the more surface-level of analysis, Terry Pratchett has told stories in which women grow into or take over power positions that are usually dominated by men, and, even more often, male professions. It happens with wizardry, the city police force, dwarf hierarchy, the military, the ancient pseudo-Egyptian culture of Pyramids, Magrat as the "dominant" person in her marriage and thus the monarchy, Susan as Death, and to a lesser degree the werewolves. There is also Sybil who, while an heiress, runs her own business operation and campaign for animal rights, and there is also a female character who is one of the founders of the newspaper system in The Truth, though in many ways she was present as a love interest for the male lead. (Interestingly, however, I just finished reading Going Postal and in it the only reporter for the Times who appeared as a regular minor character was Saccharissa, not Wordsworth, which shows that she continues to inhabit her profession in her own right.)

The consistent and deliberate attention Pratchett gives to the dream or concept of sexual and racial equality in a professional world is worth acknowledging, even if his methods are not purity and rightness beyond all criticism. Having put out more than 30 novels set in the same "world", he's going to make missteps, and having now read everything up to Going Postal (33/35), I can see how his characters and writing have developed and matured. Ironically, Equal Rites (3/35), a novel more overtly about sexism than any other except Monstrous Regiment, is one of his weakest books, and includes concepts about women, men, and magic that he rewrites, ignores, or retcons in later canon.

Cross-posted to