preview

Feminism : A Feminist Perspective

Good Essays

Feminism is an interesting topic to cover. Feminism is often associated with or assumed to be radical feminism, despite the fact that they are two different mindsets. Feminism, in its purest sense, is the seeking of gender equality in society. It seeks to go against the idea of male supremacy and gender stereotypes, saying that both of the two are oppressive and uncalled for. Radical feminism tends to have more to do with the concept of patriarchy, saying that female dominance has been “historically proven” to be beneficial. While the concepts within radical feminism became popular in the 1960s, during the arisal of second-wave feminism, feminism itself has been around for quite some time. This essay will be looking at the origins of and development of first-wave feminism in the late 1800s. Feminism exists as a concept and a moral. You can not put dates to a concept. Of course, there were figures that represented this concept, The Greek philosopher Plato is one such example. It is disputed whether or not Plato is truly a feminist, but he could still be considered to be someone who supported (at least somewhat) the concept of gender equality. The more equally-statused women portrayed in Plato’s works tended to be a bit masculine in their qualities. This is not a surprise, though. Plato did not live in a time in which equality was normal. Women were thought to be “lower” beings, lacking intelligence and use (other than bearing children, of course.) The fact

Get Access