Feminism And Gender And Ethnic Studies

The book introduced the topic of women’s and gender studies and what this course entails. It is defined by the book as; an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning women, gender, and feminism. It delves further into the history WGS of how to originated and the progress it has made through to today. WGS has now been integrated into most college curriculums and can even be chosen as a major. The feminist movement has been divided into separate “waves” where specific times of feminism are grouped together. Women’s studies originated during the 2nd wave. Feminism is usually associated with WGS, which is a word that comes with copious baggage, although it is a movement for equality and social justice for all. They further describe the myths associated with feminism like they are men-haters and lesbians causing many people to shy away from calling themselves a feminist, although they may agree with many feminist views. The book concludes by stating that there is still much work to be done regarding the rights and equality of women.

In order to understand the present day feminist movement, one must understand how feminism originated and the basic definition of feminism. What comes to mind when you hear the word feminism? For many, phrases like “man-hater” and “feminazi” have become equated with feminism. However, feminism is quite simply defined as “political, economic, and social equality of

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.

Feminism has not changed today, but its focus has changed. Many women today have good education and employment opportunities just like men, as the early feminist fought for them. Now, after getting all these, men are now discriminating them and at times abusing them in order to undermine their hard work and potentiality. Men are doing all they can to undermine the success women have been able to acquired, however, today’s feminism is struggling to protect women and girls from domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape as well as discrimination.

First, I want to start off by saying I definitely became very informed of what it was like for women prior to the Women’s Liberation Movement! I had no idea just how bad women had it back then. In addition, I am guilty of referring to most feminist as man haters and often wondered what all of the fuss was about, I guess I never took the time to do the research to see in fact what the true meaning and purpose of a feminist is. In the end my beliefs about feminism have in fact changed after reading the three articles “A Day without Feminism”, “Fear of Feminism and “Claiming an Education.” I believe these authors wanted to inform readers of what it was like for women before the Women’s Liberation Movement but to send the message stating although things are improving, we are not there yet and there is still a lot to be done!

In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay.

When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.

As I grew up I never realized that I was growing up in a family with very feministic views. Growing up I knew my grandmother ruled her house and the women in my family tended to make most of the choices. I never realized that this was so different than others until I started seeing other people’s family structure and the different topics in feminism. So as a child even though I was not raised with the word feminism in my vocabulary but I was getting the base of my feministic outlook on life now.

Before this class, I was aware of feminism but also uncertain on the meaning. I knew gender inequality existed throughout history and currently. Growing up in the rural Midwest, feminism was not perceived as a positive movement. Little was taught or said about feminism in any primary education. We learned about women’s suffrage and that was it. After, taking this class, I understand that feminism is so much more than woman’s suffrage in the early 1900s.

During these last thirteen weeks, I have discovered a lot about myself, not only as a student, but as a feminist. Before taking this class, I knew that I wanted to be a feminist. I believed that women should stand up and exercise their rights to be equal to men on every level. Be that as it may, I lacked the education required to develop my own sense of feminism--my feminist manifesto, if you will. When approaching the topic of feminism, every person needs to ask themselves a list of questions: Who am I? Who do I want to be? What has influenced me as a person? How can I help? These are the beckoning questions we, as developing and purposeful human beings, ask ourselves every day, and these are the questions that will lead each and every person

Women’s Studies has led me to speak up for the voiceless, to become an educator, and an activist. I have become elated by the different feminists’ theory that I have learned and I was able to conclude that feminism is for everyone. As a result, I have become an advocate for Women’s Studies classes and I solely encourage my friends and peers to take at least one course because of the beneficial factors being provided by the

Although I grew up with strong female role models in my family, I wasn't exposed to the term "feminism" until freshmen year of high school. The group of friends I made were all intellectual, but a bit narcissistic and pretentious at times. However, they knew how to make a point and argue it until the other person understood. After listening in on debate after debate on sexism and equal rights and what it means to be a feminist, I started forming my own opinions and own arguments.

Many times in life men do not think that women can do the same things that they can; whether it’s picking up boxes or being president. There will always be that “macho man” thought of the man being stronger than the woman. In many jobs women might do the exact same thing that men do except men are getting paid more than women even if it is an insignificant amount, it happens in many places and even though many people disapprove of it there are still jobs like that out there. And there are still employers who think that a woman should not be in the work force if so home. Many feminist have been working to solve this problem and there are still people who are working to solve and change many more of these problems, and even though in some places it doesn’t seem like it, feminism and feminists

Feminist theory analyzes the gender inequality that women have faced throughout the years due to a patriarchal society. Women were expected to fit the traditional female and conform to the gender norms that society has constructed. According to A Brief Introduction to Critical Theory, “Feminism embodies a way of reading that investigates the text’s investment in or reaction to the patriarchal power structures that have dominated Western culture” (227). Patriarchal power has oppressed women economically, socially, and politically. Women were associated more with domesticity than with politics and financial situations. They were not provided the same educational opportunities as men. These issues have been addressed by people, such as Mary

Throughout the last century, women have had to fight to have the same opportunities as men. Women have had to earn the right to vote, the right to have a career, and the right to autonomy. However, these are all rights that men have simply been given, which is why today’s feminists work to promote equality. Despite these efforts, feminism is often misunderstood and is interpreted with a negative connotation. According to a study conducted by Precopio and Ramsey (2017), “feminism is commonly recognized as a movement driven to grant social, political, and economic equality to both women and men.” The participation of others besides women is crucial to the spread of equality among the genders. Furthermore, the stigma and negative feelings surrounding feminism must be reduced in order for the ideals of feminism to have a greater impact.