Feminism : A Social, Economic, And Social Equality Of The Sexes

“Feminist: adjective, advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women - equal to those of men” (Dictionary.com). It is no secret that the true definition of a “feminist” has been tossed around and distorted throughout the years. There are several existing views on who feminists are today. Some think that feminists have devolved since the days of the women’s suffrage movements and that they are now simply “men-haters” that want to attain higher social and economic statuses than men. Others believe that women are still supporting and fighting for their rights and equality. The article, “The “F” Word: How the Media Frame Feminism” by Debra Baker Beck, takes the stance that through the years, the term “feminism” has been wrongly consumed by negative connotations because of people who misunderstand the intent of feminism. She strives to establish a more placid perspective of feminists in the media. In Cathy Young’s article “Feminists Treat Men Badly. It’s Bad For Feminism” the blame for the skewed definition of feminists is placed on modern feminists and their tendency to “mock and berate men” (Young, N.p.). The debate is over whether or not modern feminists are faithfully supporting their roots of fighting for equality or if they have strayed to shaming or hating men instead.

To admit or to label oneself as a feminist is to accept a whirlwind of judgment from those around you. It is without a doubt that the word “Feminism” or “Feminist” turns heads, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Many have resorted to mocking, disagreeing, and/or hating Feminism without even having a good grasp of what it is. The stigmas that feminists face are that they are radical, extremist, liberal, lesbians who hate men, refuse to shave and enjoy burning bras (Lee).Conversely, feminists are principally advocates for social justice and equality as well as aim for the establishment of equally divided power between the sexes. It is obvious that many are unaware of and uneducated on the misogynistic injustices plaguing our world and the toxic environment we all live in- both women and men. Feminism is a positive concept that works to eliminate injustices between both sexes and to establish the value of women, thus should be treated as such a concept instead of being a forbidden idea.

At the beginning of the semester when I was asked if I was a feminist, I thought the answer was pretty obvious. I didn’t consider myself a feminist, nor did I ever think I would ever become a feminist, but what I didn’t understand about feminism, was that I didn’t truly understand what it meant to be a feminist. After months of studying gender, I now have a better understanding of what it exactly means to be a feminist. In my opinion, a feminist is someone who wants equal rights for women and men, and what I mean by equal rights, is equality across the board, which includes the political landscape, religious landscape, the free market, the jobs market, ETC. Although that definition is not one that is widely accepted in the academic environment,

"For me, now, feminist art must show a consciousness of women 's social and economic position in the world. I also believe it demonstrates forms and perceptions that are drawn from a sense of spiritual kinship between women" (theartstory.org) are the words of artist, Suzanne Lacy. In a world where men are looked at as superior, feminism is an incredibly important movement in the eyes of a woman. All of the feelings and emotions that have manifested within women throughout the years, are able to be expressed through feminism. The impact of this movement has lasted over decades and gives women the power to stick together and fight for what they believe in. The feminist movement of the 1960’s was represented through, The Sculpture II by Kirsten Justesen, and by the song, “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore.

Many people are often misinformed or given bad first impressions of feminism. However, feminism is equal rights for all people of different race, sex, gender, and sexuality. Many of the people that give feminism a bad name, include a self-proclaimed feminist that is running for presidency, and meninists who are satirical equal rights activists. In reality, feminism is pro-gender equality and opportunities for all types of people.

What is feminism? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary the standard definition defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” I believe the word feminism means a woman who is capable of doing the exact things a man can do. Both men and women are equal regardless the gender. There are many misconceptions when it comes to the word feminism such as, women having hatred towards men, women thinking they're above men, or only women can be feminist, and the gender stereotype. On the other hand, feminism is gender equality, acknowledging that any kind of violence is unacceptable regardless the gender, and realizing that women and men are not the same and recognizing that gender and sex are

Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings. It’s a quote that has been attributed to dozens of women throughout history, but no matter who whispered those wise words, they still hold a significant impact in the modern social body. Much like with the civil rights movement for African Americans, women have won their suffrage and have been granted equal rights; however, also much like the African American people, oppression is still very real for women in the modern social body. The growing disparity between the wages of males and females is frightening, the presence of a rape culture is devastating, and the failures to recognize the right of a woman to choose are cataclysmic. So, if the feminist

It 's unfortunate that when some people hear the term feminism, they automatically place that as a negative word and it becomes something they don 't want to be associated with. It is unfortunate that people will try to avoid it however, people will still embrace the feminist politics. As feminist scholar Susan A. Mann (2012) describes, when people refuse to identify as a feminist they create the "I 'm-not-a feminist-but" syndrome. This refers to when people understand the importance of struggles with gender issues, such that include the wage gap or domestic violence, but they will still reject the notion that it may actually mean they are a feminist if they are fighting for that cause. Feminism has a simple definition, it means that women seek gender equality through political, social, and economic gain.

“‘Feminism’ is an umbrella term for a range of views about injustices against women”(Fisanick). Many people are not educated about what feminism really is. People automatically think just by hearing the word that it is something women created against men, not true. A feminist is anybody who wants equality between men and women. “Being a feminist has nothing to do with how you look, what you wear, who you date. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you think women deserve special rights; it means you know we deserve equal ones” (Cavanagh). Everyone should educate themselves and advocate feminism to help spread equality, get people equal pay and stop stereotypes against men and

G. D. Anderson said it the best, "Feminism isn't about making woman stronger. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." Feminism is improving the inequality that women face. As women, we have come a long way from our catastrophic past, but we still have a long way to go before we are even deemed equal as the opposite sex. There are three historical areas of inequality in the feminist movement: political, cultural, and economic.

What does it mean to be a Feminist? Does it automatically mean you hate men or does it mean you're an activist for women's rights? Contrary to popular belief, feminism is not about establishing a superior gender. It is about fighting for equality and destroying the social, cultural and historical norms set upon women throughout the world. The Twenty-first century has brought change and growth to female empowerment. Although, in many parts of the world women are given the same rights as men, they are still treated and viewed inferior to men. G.I. Jane perfectly illustrates the struggle women have gone through, even when given “identical” opportunities as men.

The textbook definition of feminism is “a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women” (WordNet, 2010). While this is correct, there is much more to it than that.

In the words of the famous Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “a feminist is a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” I believe that though some might argue that ever since women got the right to vote men and women have been equal, it simply is not so and it is evident in so many different aspects, from a parent 's desire to abort a fetus when they learn the gender is female to the unequal pay in the U.S. working class between the genders. In all societies men and women have different gender identities assigned to them from birth which include, but are not limited to differences in dress and actions, social responsibilities, and of course job roles. We live in a world where a man is ridiculed for taking his wife 's last name or in the case of my mother, the cost of choosing to hyphenate her last name with my fathers is for her to be singled out and marked as a red flag by United States airport security every time she travels. We are systematically ingrained to hold men and women to different standards and roles which then expands into the workforce, creating inequality because in the fight for the same role the men will eventually dominate over the women. Gender inequality in the workplace is a very common, important social and economical issue that has been around for many years and, at today 's rate, will be around for the next one hundred years.

Through many different cultures, women have not been the center of attention. They have always been in the back and it was unknown for them to be in charge or have a status as an important person. I’m going to discuss the struggles and different views through many cultures and the problems that are included with feminism. Cultural feminism was developed from a different type of feminism called radical feminism.

Unfortunately Feminist has a misinterpreted definition. The word itself has a double meaning that then the gap from actually knowing what the meaning of the word is and how society has defined the word. From being misinformed the word feminist has then been altered in such a way that it's now known as a movement of women trying to dominate and destroy men.