Feminism And The Equality Of All Sexes

Women have been fighting the fight for women’s rights for a long time. In fact, evidence can be traced back centuries of women’s desire for equality. Specifically, women have fought for their rights in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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”.

Feminism exists to give everyone the same opportunities and basic rights typically granted solely to straight, wealthy white males. Modern and early feminists alike fought for these rights and “while acknowledging these limitations (sexual orientation, race, and personality), both groups of peace workers recognized the significance of building identities for their respective communities through embracing principles of nonviolence and respect for diversity” (Pois). Feminism is a movement for those who are not born with everything handed to them, and for those who are forced to fight for everything they have. Anyone placed in a lesser position, seen as not meeting the expectations set before them, or otherwise disprivileged is represented through feminism. Feminists from each generation have aided in the development of women’s rights to create a better world for themselves and those around them.

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.

For years, women have fought to gain the same rights and treatment as men. Those women that have been fighting to gain equality have been held back and their opportunities have been stripped away from them due to the simple fact of being women. “Feminism is the belief in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” (Scholz 2013). The feminist movement has been the key factors in helping women gain equal rights for those who have been underprivileged of their rights and equivalence that society refuse to give to them. A woman has every right to be treated equally to men and feminism is accomplishing this slowly. Feminism is not only beneficial to women, it helps both men, women, and children because it is allowing the communities

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,

Feminism is most often thought of as a method used for educating society on the rights of women. It teaches that men and women are equal in every way both civil and societal. Charlotte Bunch, realizing that this is not always the case, also defined feminism as "a way of looking at the world a questioning of power and domination issues". A great deal of feminists attempt to ignore the ideas of a stereotypical women and move them away from people who don’t. They fight to find, study, and do away with biases in a world filled with ignorant men who see women only as objects and not equals. There are however, women who announce their immense intellect, wealth, and vibrant and free personalities to those who oppress them. A woman

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.

Premises: (Given) gender has been a point of controversy throughout history. (Given) controversy leads to differences in viewpoints and interpretations.

To begin with I would like to talk about some of the issues relating to feminism. For thousands of years there have always been issues with genders being unequal as it has always been believed that different genders have always had gender roles, these issues have always been dismissed up until now. Before the 1960’s women were expected to follow traditional roles such as having to do the cleaning, the cooking, taking care of the children and being feminine or ‘lady-like’, they were seen as the caretakers of the home and family. After completing basic education women were expected to stay at home rather than going out to pursue a career. Women were treated like objects by men and the men were sometimes in charge of the family and perhaps even seen to be above women. Men and women were also payed differently, even if they had the exact same job and job responsibilities, women were payed less than men. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act came to action and it was forbidden for women to be payed less

Feminism is a term defined as the advocacy of women 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. This theory is centered on women living in patriarchal society. During the 1900s life for women differed greatly from the lives of men. Patriarch communities were very prevalent during this time. As a result Susan Glaspell dedicated many, if not all of her works as dramas describing the restricting view of women living in the early twentieth century. Feminism shows how males dominated in society. During the twentieth century women seem suppressed, oppressed, and often times left out when it comes to their marriage. Women during this time were silenced while living under the negative effects of a patriarchal society. Susan Glaspell took a turn for the better when describing the lives and experiences women went through. She made things more critical so that you could take time and think about not only the possible outcome of situations but a deeper view of why they occurred. In comparison with life today and the 1900s the play Trifles analyzes and shows different views of the rights of women through the title as well as the characters.

According to Wade and Ferree (2015) feminism “is the belief that all men and women should have equal rights and opportunities (p. 157). However, this definition is simple and does not explain what feminism means today. Feminism still deals with gender inequality, but it has become more than that over the years. Feminists today are also concerned about “differences among men and among women – intersectionality” (p. 157). Females are disadvantaged compared to males, but both males and females have to overcome harmful gender stereotypes. If gender equality is going to exist, the focus cannot entirely be on females. Also, if feminism was only about women it would exclude everyone else, and they would be perpetuating inequality as well. It is important

For many years, women have aimed for gaining equality with men. They’re opportunities were taken away because of the fact that they were women. Overtime feminism has expanded and diversified in many different aspects including approach and priorities. The changes in them are result of many different social economic groups of women because of the various goals set for methods of creating change, which are implemented within the movement. The feminist movement has been trying to give equal rights to women who have been destitute of their equality and privileges that man have never given them. Feminism is beneficial to men, women, and their families because it is allowing everyone to have an equal opportunity in life to achieve all they can without any discrimination based on their sex.

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.