Feminism: A Must in Today’s Society Feminism has become a much studied topic since the victory of women’s rights. Feminism is the reason we get to have equality in our world and although we have not reached all our goals, there has been much progress. To be capable to reach equality amongst the world, we need to keep progressing with it and not lose motivation. Some may say feminism sounds like a sexist term and some do not understand that it means equality and therefore, do not like it. Although there are several definitions of feminism, in the article Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression, Bell Hooks states that “Feminism is a struggle to end sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion, and material desires.” (p. 2) Feminism is so important and is something we need in our society to make this world a better place. Women have not been treated equally for a long time, and it is time to bring inequality to an end. Although it may seem impossible to do all at once, by working on these issues day by day, one day, men and women can be equal. Some of this world’s current issues, and the one’s that bring me to argue why we need feminism today are that women still get paid less than men, along with the opportunities that men get
Since the beginning of time women have been considered inferior to men, which seem to proceed to affect everyday lives of all social beings in this world. Women have a disease, a disease that will prevent them for ever having the political drive to achieve political, social or economic opportunities men have. This "disease" is the need for independency and self-respect or the lack there of. This is what we have come to know as feminism. Feminism refers to the body of thought on the cause and nature of women's disadvantaged and subordinate position in society, and efforts to minimize and eliminate the subordination (Hughes, 2002:160). Understanding that the need for independency and self-respect is not a real disease,
The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In the past century, gender roles have been challenged because of feminism. The very idea has completely flipped households, workplaces, and the general community and changed it for the better. A plethora of women’s movements were initiated in the 1960’s, and it gave people a look at how powerful women are when we stand united. Feminism has gained many followers in the past thirty to forty years as more people are becoming aware of conflicts pertaining to discrimination. However, there are many that were hesitant both in the 1960’s and in the present day, but for very different reasons. Nevertheless, persistence seems to be a beacon in women’s rights movements, thanks to very strong and level-headed role models.
Patriarchal domination causes the oppression of women worldwide. As time has gone on, there continuously seems to be arguments as to how men and women are different and therefore unfit to attain the same rights. The differences between the genders can be either biological or socially constructed. However, these views are important to feminists because they make all the difference in the way they articulate their arguments and fight for equality. In bell hook’s essay, “feminism: a transformational politic” she argues “the insistence on difference as the factor which becomes the occasion for separation and domination and suggest the differentiation of status between males and females globally is an indication that patriarchal domination of
Feminism has become an ugly word. Some say it does not even live up to its definition anymore. However, the definition remains unchanged in the pages of history. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary’s definition of Feminism reads, “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” If one digs deep into this definition, beyond the surface of society’s view on feminism today, one can see that feminism would benefit both sexes. The true ideals of feminism break down gender roles, thus benefitting men, women and future generations.
In society, men and women serve different task. Usually men do the heavier work, while women do smoother work. Women have a difficult time due to the fact that most men think that women are property, rather than a person. Therefore, women came to the conclusion that they do not want to follow the norm anymore because they know what they are capable of. The term feminism can be defined as women who want to be in the same level of equality in political, economic, and social as men are. Although many people misunderstood the definition, different strategies such as exemplification, comparison and contrast, and negotiation will be shown to help those who are not familiar with this word.
The definition of feminism is very elusive. Maybe because of its ever-changing historical meaning, it’s not for certain whether there is any coherence to the term feminism or if there is a definition that will live up to the movement’s variety of adherents and ideas. In the book “No Turning Back,” author Estelle Freedman gives an accurate four-part definition of the very active movement: “Feminism is a belief that women and men are inherently part of equal worth. Because most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that gender always intersects with other social hierarchies” (Freedman 7).
Feminism- The value of women and a woman-centered perspective and the advocacy of social, political, and economic equality for both women and men
If you went back in time to the 1950’s or before and asked any person on the street, “Are men and women treated equally?” you would get a clear, easy answer; no, they are not. However, since the feminist movement began in the 1960’s, the answer to that question has become increasingly ambiguous. One cannot overlook the impeccable strides that women have made in the last fifty years to attempt to achieve the same respect as men. However, have feminists reached their ultimate goal of having total equality to men, or do they still have a ways to go? Let’s begin by debunking a common misconception about feminism. Many people think of feminists as bitter, man-hating extremists who have an agenda to put
Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.
The feminist movement came to fruition during the early 20th century. Over all, the push for women 's suffrage and rights was strong, but further enhanced by leaders like Alice Paul and Jane Addams. The idea of equal rights for all was further scrutinized and contested after civil rights were granted to former slaves. Women began to push for similar equality as illustrated through the feminist movement.
Feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. Although vastly arising in the West, feminism is embodied worldwide and is represented by various institutions committed to activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests (Burkett & Brunrll, 2018). To many individuals, feminism is a way to express their thoughts and opinions on certain political issues that often times do affect one sex more than it does the other, thus creating gender inequality. Throughout history, women have always been oppressed by the ‘dominant’ sex, males. However, thanks to feminism, feminist theories and theorists, the oppression has become lesser.
Modern day feminism is different from early feminism because feminists back then have given women today, many rights such as social equality as well as female role models that many women today look up to (odyessy). While modern day feminism is still struggling with these little problems in today’s society. About 58 percent of carers are female, although women in full time work are still more likely to be carers than men in full time work. Transgendered women remain extremely likely to be discriminated against while lesbian women often tend to experience higher levels of discrimination in the UK than gay men. These factors reveal that the issues with race, disability, sexual orientation and gender are often combined to create a reality of extreme
The modern definition of feminism: “an ideology that, in its most basic form, directly opposes sexism by supporting gender equality and portraying women and men as equal.” (Finsterbusch 59). This definition was the early direction towards treating women like human beings rather than a housebound body, and this is why feminism should not be viewed as a harmful ideology. By exemplifying the importance of the ideology of feminism, by refuting those who claim that women have used feminism to exploit their personal wants and desires, and by presenting women’s first hand encounters of inequality, case studies, sound arguments and documented research one will be persuaded that the ideology of feminism is not
According to Hooks (2000) as cited in Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”. It is necessary to explain the different types of feminism that are present in society first. Freedman
Thesis Statement: The actual meaning of feminism is not that women are above men, it is instead the importance of anti-sexism, and anti-gender discrimination.