Feminism Is Not A Woman 's Rights

Dr James Hansen’s argumentative essay, “A Solution to the Climate Problem,” discusses his premise that it is imperative for humankind to deal with carbon dioxide emissions, which he believes needs to be phased out by the mid-21st century. He begins with the current paradigm in government efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and claims that so far it has been a lot of talk and action in the other direction. Dr Hansen argues that while governments pay lip service to agreements such as the Kyoto Accord, they are going full steam ahead with projects that will result in increased carbon dioxide emissions, such as going forth with coal-fired power plants, coal-to-liquids, hydraulic fracturing, and tar sands oil extraction. Dr Hansen believes

So, I offer this statement in the belief that universal human dignity and a thriving biodiverse planet are not only achievable but also inherent. It is my hope that these words raise awareness and help people live a reflective and intentional life by committing to the processes, already underway, to mitigate the climate change. Unfortunately, debates, conferences, and discussions about the environment have too often been dictated, dominated, and manipulated by the extremes, and the dogmatism of fossil fuel companies, which in turn fuels bigotry. I hope this statement advances and improves the quality and tenor of the dialogue about how to protect the environment in the 21st century. From there, we take action to leave this world better than we found it. But now is the time to take bold and unprecedented! “The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.” Abraham

We have all heard statistics over how unmitigated global warming can lead to rising sea levels, increased temperatures, lower rates of precipitation. The Congressional Budget Office recently found that climate change, if unmitigated, would create costly damage not only to the United States’s economy, but also to the world as a whole (source). Despite a scientific and general consensus that climate change is real and a problem, actual committed action against climate change has been disappointingly slow, until recently. We also know the cause of climate change. The United States EPA finds that “Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation’s emissions and most of the increase since 1990” (EPA). What we don’t know is a solution.

When First Lady Hillary Clinton delivered her speech “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” at the United Nations 4th World Conference in 1995, she focused on giving voice to the inequality of women in countries around the world. Hoping to raise awareness about women’s rights Clinton says, “We are focusing world attention on issues that matter most in our lives -- the lives of women and their families.” She expands on the statement by helping the men identify with the women in their lives such as their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. Hillary effectively persuades the audience of delegates, government officials, and people from around the world to identify with the need to empower, strengthen and support women in their lives. In this speech, Hillary uses ethos, logos, pathos, and repetition to successfully deliver a compelling argument for revolution.

“In the United States, communities of color and low-income neighborhoods are historically the hardest hit by pollution from industrial factories and incinerators, the illegal dumping of chemical wastes on vacant lots, lead contamination in building materials, a lack of parklands and other

All feminist must oppose this, and thus all feminist must oppose the domination of nature. Warren explains the value of first person narratives in giving voices to sensitivities and attitudes that Western society often overlooks, and the argumentative significance that results from sensical conclusions. Ecofeminism provides a shift from a typical Western “arrogant perception” that only extends moral consideration to beings that resemble oneself, to a new “loving perception” that tries to understand what it means for humans to care about the nonhuman world. Warren outlines the “boundary conditions” of a feminist

Feminism, as stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is defined as,  “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In collaboration, our group adheres to this definition; however, our take on the ideal of Feminism includes the advocacy of human rights, individual rights, and equality for all. Contemporary Feminism is the initial movement of civil rights for women only, but since have expanded their concept to all sexes.

Pat Robertson is a TV celebrity that has always made the news for his inappropriate comments regarding pretty much anything that goes against his evangelical ways. He is an absurdly conservative political activist, which has left him to say notorious things and be hated by many. For example, he declared "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians”. As expected, this quote has caused a widespread uproar in the feminist community. The false statement denounces feminism as a whole. Feminism’s main purpose is to achieve equality for women in all

According to the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, a global women’s foundation, women comprise the majority of the world’s poorest individuals and experience systematic marginalization, discrimination, and violence . This disparity for women as compared to other populations makes them especially vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Many of them take actions to mobilize for environmental rights, but when they do, they are often faced with a myriad of obstacles because of their activism and because they are women. Female activist leaders are vulnerable and the nature of their work

about equality”, 2014). I view many of the tactics to improve the plight of women as

Mankind throughout the history has been cruel to women for far too long, women, for example have been deprived off of participation in various activities in a mostly patriarchal societies where in male members of the society have the final say pertaining to the issues affecting the society there by women can only sit down and look. The book described the modern feminism as a product of the enlightenment, and 18th century feminists argued that women were secluded from the public realm, whereas they were well equipped to compete on equal terms with men. These idea in most of the time has been interpreted as the idea behind the subjugation of women by men is just a so called idea of womanhood that women are only supposed to be housekeepers, taking care of the domestic routines that includes, the flowing: cooking, laundry, feeding the kids, make sure their assignments are done, women also has to fold laundry and iron them all by herself as inferior beings to man. To some feminist, these ideas were merely to dominate women and make them feel worthless when it comes to education, politics, things that affects their own surroundings and things that matter the most. These system of biasness against women, have been in practice for so long and still continue to be a norm even in some democracies where certain individuals feel the need that they can control or decide what their female spouses should do. Its worst in mostly undemocratic and overly religious countries

This critique reflects on Mohanty’s “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses” and Moore’s “The Rise and Rise of Ecofeminism as a Development Fable: A Response to Melissa Leach’s ‘Earth Mothers and Other Ecofeminist Fables: How a Strategic Notion Rose and Fell.” Both articles raise questions of essentialism as a necessary element in feminism itself, and of naivety, validity and value of essentialized feminist works. This firstly challenges the biological and social definition of ‘woman,’ the homogenization of ‘woman’, and further, the implication of the role of women in nature. The second challenge that arises in reviewing these articles is the question of audience: whom are these (eco)feminists targeting, and for what purpose? The challenges of (eco)feminism, essentialist feminism, and the application of feminism in gender, development and environmental studies are apparent in both of the articles I am reviewing.

This September is the 20th anniversary of a speech made by former US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. In the speech, Clinton made the famous remark, “Women’s rights are human rights”. Since the speech, focus on gender equality has increased, especially in the workplace. Yet, some industries, like private equity, continue to have problem in attracting women.

Ecofeminism is also referred to as a theory which makes the links between the oppression of women and the oppression of nature in patriarchal culture; an ethical position informed by ecofeminist thought and activism is one which resists these oppressions (Constance et al, 1996). Early ecofeminist analyses of the causes and solutions for environmental ethics were based on the idea of a feminine principle of care that was thought as a foundation for a sustainable livelihood (David, 2003). The approach of feminine principle later became the object of internal critique, the critique included the development of feminist principles that criticized the meanings of feminine, masculine, nature and culture (David, 2003). According to this latter, critical approach, ecofeminism could no longer be defined as a community of women rather the community of people who participate in critical ecofeminist analyses of the global environmental situation (David, 2003). Many different interpretations of ecofeminism exist, each rooted in a particular intersection of race, class, geography and conceptual orientation (Constance et al, 1996). This diversity also reflects the multiple points from which ecofeminists have entered the movement (Constance et al, 1996).These include both academic and activist involvement in animal liberation, environmentalism, international development, peace activism, biotechnology, and genetic engineering (Constance et al, 1996). A strong influence in ecofeminism has been deep ecology, primarily academic movement which posits anthropocentrism as the root cause of the environmental crisis (Constance et al, 1996). The pervasive belief that nature is solely a resource for

Today, we live in a world interwoven with women’s oppression, ecological degradation, and the exploitation of workers, race, and class. In the midst of these troubles, a movement known as ecofeminism appears to be gaining recognition. In the following, I hope to illustrate this revitalization movement . I will begin by characterizing a definition of ecofeminism; I will then bring to the forefront the ethical issues that Ecofeminism is involved with, then distinguish primary ideas and criticisms.