Feminism to me has always been about women’s right for equality in everything from the workplace, academics, health care and at home. My view that feminism and equality are closely intertwined comes from having a strong mother who was the foundation of our household and also from my four years at Berea College where I learned more about equality and that is should be for everyone. I reviewed two different feminism websites to learn more about feminism in general and to learn about some different viewpoints on feminism. The first website I reviewed was the Everyday Feminism website which is a US based organization with a staff of both female and male writers and who vision appears to more related to equality for the human race as a whole and not specific to only advancing women’s rights and equality (Everyday feminism,
n.d.). The second website that I reviewed was the Feminist for Life website which is a self- proclaimed grass roots organization based on the movement started by Susan B. Anthony and appears to be more focused on the rights of mothers in particular with a very strong pro-life message (Feminist for life, n.d.).
On the Everyday Feminism website next to the Fem101 tab there is a tab labeled
“privilege”. While I have read some literature about White privilege in the last year or so, I did not know about some of the other privilege topics and how many there are. According to the
Everyday Feminism website you may have unfair privileges if you are: white, straight,
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.
Janet Lee’s and Susan M. Shaw’s, Women’s Voices Feminist Visions Classic and Contemporary Readings did provide the proper data to support their analyses. Lee and Shaw used sufficient evidence to address their main topic- the analysis of women’s gender studies by examining historical and contemporary writings. In chapter one Lee and Shaw discussed the purpose of women’s studies and examined gender. The ideas of feminism we evaluated, Lee and Shaw explained the negative attributes associated with feminism as well as the history of the gender movement. Women’s studies is a field of study that has been slowly expanding in the academic world sense the 1970’s. Lee and Shaw did provide the results to the data they analyzed. To prove their statements regarding the study of the
"Worldwide woman's rights" has progressively been related with contemporary universal women's activist nongovernmental (NGO) crusades to make sexual orientation policymaking advances into intergovernmental association (IGO) policymaking with impacts on national policymaking.
Today, the feminist movement has grown and is still growing as women around the globe have joined hands in the fight against inequality. Even though a lot has changed, all feminists, despite
White Privilege is a thesis about positive racial discrimination. In exploring this thesis and in the effort of joining this decades old conversation, I think it worthwhile to fully engage Peggy McIntosh's thesis. White Privilege contains a comprehensive list of privileges that I will now check my privilege by.
White (male) privilege comprises of having more access to resources, having normative assumptions of self-worth, and escaping consequences like being discriminated against just on the basis of one’s race (Neville, Spanierman, & Lewis, 2012). There are seven core components of White (male) privilege (Neville, Spanierman, & Lewis, 2012). The first core component is that While (male) privilege differentially benefits Whites on the basis of social group membership, including class, gender, and sexual orientation. Further, differentially benefits Whites, means that Whites benefits vary based on their social membership group. An example
Privilege is often seen as special rights granted to individuals either on behalf of merit or through unwarranted means. In their writings, Johnson (privilege, oppression, and difference) and Peggy McIntosh (White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack) discuss their views on the impact that privileging specific social groups has on society. The concept of whiteness in America is often overlooked or unaffiliated with discussions concerning racial dilemmas. Whiteness and white privilege perpetuates racism due to its normalization in society which in turn serves as an agent of how other non-white people are treated.
While Western Civilization: Volume 2: Since 1500 by Jackson J. Spielvogal and Wikipedia overlap at certain points, Spielvogal’s book provides a large overview of the feminist movement in the 1960s to 1980s. Compared to Spielvogal, Wikipedia goes more in-depth with the people involved, the issues they were fighting for, and the laws they were able to get passed. Even though they have their differences, both are informative and give the reader an acceptable idea as to the feminist movement of the 1960s to 1980s.
Last week I attended the American Psychological Association Convention in Toronto, Canada. During a session, a White male talked that how is beginning to see and understand privilege, particularly white privilege. The discussion continued with other comments about privilege and all from those who were the recipients of white privilege. According to the dictionary, privilege is a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor (marriam-webster, n.d.). Those that are privileged fall under different categories. One area that people often glaze over, as well, is heterosexism, which is when heterosexuals discriminate or show prejudice toward
Feminism is women’s rights and how to exploit them, making life easier and better for them. These women have been working hard for decades and have helped the economy grow. These women also need support to help make this world and not get discriminated against because they are women and aren't as strong as guys. Help women believe that they are doing good work and that they are just as good as men. Women’s rights are important, how women’s rights has changed over time, and finally they should have more support when it comes to work and politics. Women’s rights are important and they should have more support when it comes to work and politics.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, privilege can be defined as, “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor” (Privilege). Through reading this paper you will learn about the key points from the stories, A Social Worker’s Reflection on Power, Privilege, and Oppression written by Michael S. Spencer and the article White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh. Then the paper will include my personal beliefs on the topic of privilege and even some of my own personal privilege that are in my knapsack and that have helped me along my way in life. Finally, There will also be a point in the paper where you will be informed about how privilege affect people and how they can positively affect people who do not receive them.
The research into racial inequality has mostly focused on the disadvantages experienced by the oppressed group. As the field continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to examine the privileges experienced by Whites (Bonilla-Silva, 2006). But to effectively examine this, the White individual must accept the fact that White privilege and racism still very much exist in the United States and how it affects all aspects of our culture and institutions.
Feminism: The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men (“Feminism”). As a feminist myself, it is important to know the history of feminism. The history of feminism includes its leaders, beliefs and of course organizations. The most important organization being the National Organization for Women, most commonly known as the NOW Foundation. Currently, the National Organization for Women is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States.
Feminism is giving women the idea that they are second-class citizens, and they must fight men, their enemy, for the oppression that they have received in the
WIIFM: By understanding the true ideas of feminism, you will more accurately be able to decide if this is something you support.