I guess many people around the world doesn’t know what feminism really means. Feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Equal opportunities in every aspect of life, from politics to…
“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…
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…
The American movement for women’s liberation and rights was undoubtedly the most progressive in the decades that followed the Second World War. The second wave of feminism that ensued in the 1960s and 70s redirected the goals and ambitions in the fight for gender equality in many aspects. This new wave of liberal reform allowed women to break free from the domestic sphere from the conservative restraints of the 1950s, which have traditionally limited a women’s access to the same political, economic, and educational rights as men. While the fight for women’s equality started to make real headway post World War II, the fight for women’s rights has existed long before then. This can be seen in the Antebellum reforms or the first wave of feminism from the early 19th century to the early 20th century.…
I was first technically confronted with the concept of “Feminism,” when I was only ten years old. I really had no idea what the “F” word meant, considering how young I was. Looking back, I can now understand. Eleven years ago my parents divorced after fourteen years of marriage. My mother always taught me to be a strong and independent woman. She told me to always strive to reach any goal that I set for myself, and she would always stand behind me on everything I ever did……
In the 1860s the fight for women's rights had started, since then we've made many accomplishments one of the biggest being the 19th amendment women's right to vote. Feminism is the belief in social, political, and economic equality of the genders. Feminism can also be described as a movement, and it's the feminist movement that's been trying to give equal rights to all women who have been denied of their equality and rights.…
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…
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.”…
Feminism has always been a problem in America dating back to the beginning of agriculture. From our right to vote, to our way of living it has always been a problem. Kids born in the 21st century, more millennials than anything, aren’t necessarily aware of the feminist problem. It has been a very long journey, but yet we still have to face the struggle of the anti-feminists.…
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…
All that they have - food and clothing and all the luxuries – depend upon how much their husband has, and how much he is willing to give her. That is a sad state of affairs, and it still rings true today for many women. Women who are satisfied to stay home and raise the children and not have a career face the realization that they could never survive financially on their own. The divorce rate was low back in the years following the Civil War. Women had not gained their “emancipation”. Gilman’s book had a strong impact on first generation feminists.…
“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings,” as Cheris Kramarae once eloquently stated. Feminism strives to end sexism and to achieve equal rights for men and women. In America, it has been attributed to getting women the right to vote, being able to run for a political office, and demanding workplace rights. However, sexism is still extremely rampant in the country, especially in the workplace, and feminism is the only way to end it.…
When one speaks of an independent or a strong woman, one generic poster is pictured. J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” with an image of a woman, flexing her bicep is a famous piece of propaganda created during World War II. She flexes her muscles in a way only men during that time period were socially allowed to do. When this photo is spoken of, the women in the picture is never referred to as a lady. She is referred to as a strong woman, instead. Beyonce Knowles, a famous singer addresses this topic. In her song, Grown Woman, she speaks of herself as an independent person, how she can do what she wants, how she “runs this” referring to her life. In another song sung by her, she labels single females Single Ladies, not “Single Women”. When a female wants to be considered a bachelorette, she is considered a lady instead of a woman because a woman is on her own and is independent of a man.…
Now I am one of the happiest and confident people I know and that is something I am incredibly proud of. I know whom I am and am consistently growing as a person. While I am proud to be a feminist, it makes me slightly sad that there is even a need for feminism. Feminism is defined as “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes” (UN Women, 2014). The fact that this equality is not present in 2015 and there are literally campaigns for feminism fighting for equality makes me disappointed in our…
The "battle of the sexes" that rages on today is just as strong as it has always been. Although an ever-increasing number of opinions are being heard and made known, many people are still ignorant and hold on to traditional views that can sometimes be damaging. Even though there has been much progress in the ways of communication and understanding, much is still needed to be done and improved upon. Colette Dowling is a well-respected author on women's psychological issues who uses her personal experiences and insights to enlighten women about themselves. In Dowling's excerpt of The Cinderella Complex: Women's Hidden Fear of Independence, she provides a clearly written and rational explanation on the psychological issues of dependency women exhibit, but lacks in supporting evidence and examples.…