Now men cannot be blamed for something a group has done. It generalizes the male gender, and also discriminates against them. Through this feminist movement, to gain equality, women are discriminating against men which contradict their beliefs of equality. On the other hand the radicals of the movement have made men seem like animals and are completely against women everywhere. They are the ones who hurt today’s woman rather than help. Through their radical views they hurt the image of the females as a whole and made them seem like “man-haters.” Although times have changed, the public opinion still holds true.
Modern feminists are looked down upon by many plainly due to their views. Although termed modern feminism, it holds a negative implication to it. No matter how much their view might have changed and how hard they have worked to change it, that negative undertone will always remain. Due to this negative approach people usually fear the subject or those involved with it, or they are exasperated by it. In doing so they’re disconcerted to speak against them and causes an unease, which does not help the cause of feminism, it continues to hurt it. Feminists look at feminism selfishly, they want equality; however not everywhere, when it benefits them. One great example of this is women cannot be drafted into the army, while men can (Sullivan 2007.) There’s very little predicament there, not many feminists are seen protesting against it. This also has hurt the self-esteem of some women. Housewives who were satisfied with what they did were put down by the feminist movement. They felt as if what these women did was degrading to the females in general. There are many other incidents where this has happened and have been ignored because it didn’t benefit them, or the female gender. That is why it is said, that these feminists are here to create a more superior female gender rather than equality to males as their founding principles.
The image set by the feminists of the past has lead fewer women to believe in, or even follow, in our modern time. Feminism’s followers are decreasing and people are losing interest. This has not been a benefit for women; rather hurt them, in the sense. After telling these women that it was bad to be a housewife, they offer no real solution so these women could make a change. Although modern feminists have different ideas, contradicting those of orthodox feminists, they still have fewer followers due to the negative approach and misconception the old feminist had. The modern belief is to attain equality rather than superiority; however they are having a hard time proving it.
Women use feminism as a façade to hide the real problems and difficulties we are facing. In doing so it hurts today’s woman and destroys their self-esteem. These women become more frustrated due to the damage that has been caused to their self-esteem, they come out too bold for men, which cause men to take a step back, not believing in or supporting these feminists. Although the fundamental principles of feminism are based on liberating the women as a whole; however, that is not how it started out. Modern women are having a tough time trying to change societies view on feminism. It has always been looked upon as a negative view, but was not intended to be.
Double- standards that feminists created, we can conclude that they have hurt the modern women more that benefit them. This contradicts their beliefs and discriminates against men at the same time. If women just tried to be feminine rather than so masculine, it wouldn’t hurt them so much. On way that has been a stepping stone in gender equality is The Civil Rights Act of 1991. The refusal of unwelcome sexual advances in the work place without consequences (Langley 1994.) Another way is FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), which allows women to take up to twelve weeks off of work to care for a child, spouse or immediate family member with a serious health concern. They will not lose their seniority or be disciplined for attendance while under this act. In 1950, 1 in 3 American women working age had a paying job; now 3 in 4 do (Hale, 1999.) In the United States 99 percent of women will work and be paid for it at some time in their lives (Hale, 1999.)
References
Sullivan, T.J. (2007). Sociology: Concepts and Applications in a Diverse World. Boston: Pearson.
Langley, W., & Fox, V. (1994) Women’s Rights in the United States: A Documentary History. Westport, CT: Langley & Fox.
Hales, D. (1999). Just Like a Woman: How Gender Science is Redefining What Makes Us Female. New York: Hales.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
However other feminists criticize liberal feminists firstly because, they fail; to challenge the actual underlying cause of women’s oppression, but instead focus on changing people’s attitudes and legislation, in which they hope will be enough to achieve full quality. Secondly Marxist and Radical feminists believe that none of this matters unless big revolutionary changes to the social structure are made.…
- 880 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“Feminist criticism derives from a critique of a history of oppression, in this case the history of women’s inequality” (Mays 2347). Women have always been second to men in mostly everything they are competing in. Even if the man and woman have the exact same job, the man is probably making more money just because he is a man. Women barely got the chance to vote less than fifty years ago! Women still have a long way to go to catch up where the men are, because men have always had a say in how to do things, and the woman would just agree about what he had said. Feminist are here to change all of that though. With protests showing women are equally compatible to do the same thing as men can do. “One of the first disciplines…
- 517 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Women have lived under suppression since the beginning of America. They have been denied basic rights, forced into to predetermined roles in society, and faced severe sexism. Although some men worked with the feminist movement, Cady Stanton said, “that women herself must do this work; for woman alone can understand the height, the depth, the length and the breadth of her degradation (Kelly, Parameswaran, & Schiedewind, 2012, p. 556).” Feminism does not focus on those who opposed them, but the women and the movements that changed the lives of women both in the present and those who helped set the stage for later women to continue the fight for equality. Seneca Falls is used as a historical mark to mark the beginning of the feminist movement…
- 941 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Feminism. Arguably one of the most misunderstood terms to date. In order to move forward and grow as a society, feminism is vital. Of course, sexism still exists and I doubt, there will ever be a time in history where it does not; much like racism- but generally, we have come a long way. The road for equal rights has been a long and sometimes, dangerous one as can be observed through texts such as Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Robert Browning's My Last Duchess Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette and Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. This idea of gender inequality can be readily observed through the aforementioned texts and in fact, many others, regardless of the era in which they were first written. Women being treated as possessions,…
- 1567 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
According to the dictionary, feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. This means that what a feminist wants is not a matriarchal society where men are oppressed by domineering women, but equality for women. This doctrine has existed for many years, and it first became prominent during the late eighteenth century. However, if we are to explore how feminism affects society today, we must focus on its more recent history. Specifically, the “second wave” of feminism which arose during the 1950s and 1960s. This new feminist movement arose a few years after the publication of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. This book struck a nerve with the American housewife, and caused many to question if all a woman was capable of doing was merely cooking, cleaning, and pleasing her husband. In 1966 Friedan and others formed an activist group named the National Organization for Women, or NOW. This group demanded equal pay for equal work and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in employment due to race and/or gender. As the feminist movement progressed, more and more women began to stand up for their rights, until in 1980, when women comprised the majority of undergraduates. But enough with history, how does feminism exist in our society today? First we must take a look at how feminism is perceived. According to…
- 1213 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Ever since the beginning, women have been downgraded. Many people ask the question why? Well, many people have thought that women cannot do the things that men can. Which later proves to not be true at all, as women believed they can do anything they put their minds to. With America's involvement in World War II, there was a change to women's roles. Women at the time may have not seen it but they were planting the seeds for the rebirth of feminism in the 1940s. (Writer, Leaf Group. “Feminism During the 1940s.” )…
- 988 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
The Webster's New Explorer Dictionary defines feminism as an organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests (“Feminism”). Over the past 200 years, women have fought for these rights in an effort to receive equal pay, voting rights, and marriage equality; however, these are only some of the things that feminists have fought for. In addition, average women are not the only ones fighting for their rights. Along with them are celebrities, human activists, political, and historical figures that also strive to see a day where a woman's rights are equal to the typical white man's rights. As Susan B. Anthony, a woman’s rights activist once said, “The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man”.…
- 1078 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Truly there are still people in this world who don’t take the gender equality and feminists acts seriously. Girls in this day and age are still being told they are not allowed, or do not have the capability of doing something because “you’re a girl” as if that should explain to a ten year old girl why she can’t play tackle football with her brothers. This destroys the psychological thinking of a young girl and makes her think that she has these limitations because “she’s a girl”. Limitations such as these can cause long psychological damage and lower a girl’s self esteem.…
- 671 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Modern feminist thinkers are critical of these depictions of women. They argue for equality and for societies to stop oppressing them. One famous feminist author is Luce Irigary. She’s a renowned feminist thinker who works in philosophy, psychoanalysis, and linguistics. In her famous book Speculum of the Other Woman, she explains how throughout history females have been delegated to the status as inferior to males, and argues against this ideal.…
- 650 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The issue I do have is those actively opposing feminism. I do, of course, support people having the right to voice their opinions, but it is a shame to see people spreading hate. For example, the “meninist” movement (which started as a parody) has become, from my experiences, men and even some women, saying things such as “Why do men have to spend our hard earned money on dates, why can we not get asked out, picked up and fed... I like free food too.” (a quote from a man on twitter). The thing about this is that yes, I agree there are many unfair things a man has to go through. Men should be able to cry without it being seen as weak or having it compromise their masculinity. Men should not feel like they have to fill out society’s gender role checklist. Men can wear makeup, Men can be treated by a woman. It’s my belief that the Patriarchy not only dominates women, but deeply oppresses men too. If one views women as weak, then by default the man has to be strong which leads to stereotypes such as the man not being allowed to cry (show weakness – by the standards of society). If women have to stick to creative or homemaking roles, then consequently, a man who feels he is creative or wants to stay at home and look after his children may shy away from what he really wants as it is a “women’s”…
- 639 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
No one can forget the history lessons, as they remember Susan B. Anthony fighting for women’s suffrage in the early 1900s, her face plastered on the silver dollar. Further down the line, women used feminism to break away from their traditional gender roles as matrons of the house, as females all across the country went to work in the ammunitions factories while the men were at war (think Rosie the Riveter). These concepts were seen as first-wave feminism, essentially the foundation for both second-wave and third-wave feminism, both of which go hand-in-hand. These particular ideals are founded upon the notion that women should have the same pay, opportunities, and playing field as men. The feminists you see today, are of the third-wave of feminists. Third-wave feminists are of the mindset that their bodies are their own, that they own exclusive rights to who and what enters their bodies. They strive to maintain that they deserve as much as men. They are perhaps distinguished as the most “crazy” of the bunch, seen as misandrists; but this is, of course, a generalization of all feminists. Perhaps they believe the only way for them to prove their point is to take it to the…
- 562 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In recent events, the word feminism has come up and a new debate has begun to circle around what it means, and how it should be applied to our society today. From statements made by celebrities, as a theme in a popular Beyonce song, and exposed emails from within the film industry, feminism is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in the form of exposure to a new generation. While most people would agree that any discussion about feminism is good, there is also a circulation of misguided or false ideas of what feminism actually is. Additionally, there have been very public instances that prove that we still have some progress to make in the form of equality feminism aims to bring to various groups of people. Feminist Magazine defines feminism as the movement that “strives to end the discrimination, exploitation, and oppression of people due to their gender, sexual orientation, race, class, and other differences and supports people in being free to determine their own lives for themselves.”…
- 804 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Women have benefited greatly from the feminist movement, but nowadays, most feminists are no longer fighting for the right reasons. Instead of fighting for an outdated cause, Americans should be focusing on creating an equal environment for everyone, not just women. In the mid-1800s, the white American women created a movement…
- 1012 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a powerful leader in the modern day feminist movement, once said in a speech presented at TEDxEuston, We Should All Be Feminists, “Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’ Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general—but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women.” The actions of the F1 generation of feminist women who sparked the women's rights…
- 914 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Men and boys also suffer from things like domestic violence. Those who are abused, are told that they’re ‘weak’ and need to ‘man up’. Things like this tells men, not only that they should act a certain way, but also that treating people badly is okay if their different. Which leads to bullying. This is done by implying that ‘like a man’ is better than being 'like a woman'. Men who are abused by their partners are seen as jokes. This is because a lot of people have the idea that men need to be ‘strong’, ‘manly’ and ‘unemotional’. Because being anything close to a woman is apparently an insult. And contrary to popular belief, feminism fights for men too. Feminism is about equality, not one gender being better than the other. Men are assaulted and abused because of sexism. They are laughed at for wearing skirts or dresses. But do you know who mostly does this to them? Its other men. Men are the ones insulting other men for being ‘weak’, because that’s being ‘like a…
- 821 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays