Jillian Coyne
PHI 2010
Paper 2
November 7 2014
Feminist Ethics It is essential to take Feminist ethics into consideration. Feminist ethics is providing a new approach to traditional ethics. Ethics have previously been formed around male-based assumptions. This new approach does not have to reject other forms of ethics but it can simply be a supplement. It will help aide different forms of ethics to make them less dehumanizing. We can allow feminist ethics to conform our moral framework while taking the insights of other forms of ethics into consideration but still acknowledging their shortcomings. Kantian ethics shows that reasoning is important and that we as humans should know what is right or wrong, but how one reasons and how decisions are made may vary in different situations. Kant leans more toward straight set rules that lead to a set of ethics that are too ridged. Utilitarianism is a form of ethics that thinks that the consequences are what matters, but can we really what those consequences will be. This is when feminist ethics will benefit traditional ethics as a supplement. It will help separate ethics from their male-based roots and will help make it equal for all individuals by showing interest in all activities, issues, values an moral experience for everyone and not just males or one certain group. Feminism is relatable and will show concern. Feminist ethics is taking a more caring approach to traditional forms of ethics and values relationships and
"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.
Feminism according to Lindemann as stated in the lecture notes is that feminism is fundamentally concerned with the unequal distribution of power between men and women not the the equal distribution of power. She thinks that feminism is best to understood as a set of normative values about men and women and what each is entitled to. She also feels that feminist ethicists have a role to “understand, criticize and correct how gender operates with our moral beliefs and practices. Feminist ethics also as stated in the notes is both descriptive and normative. If I had to choose whether I agree that feminism as Lindemann shows is an attractive approach to ethics I would have to say that I do. I think that is an attractive approach to ethics because
Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the
Imagine this: a society that determines who we must be and how we must act based off of criterion ideals and traditional beliefs. This is a world without feminism. Societal and global issues are an ever growing concern in terms of feminism, and the impression that should, in fact, be enforced not only in our society today but all around the world. These issues, such as gender roles, acceptance of individuality throughout humanity, economics, and progression of the feminist movement are the utmost driving forces in how we can change the world for the better.
Hatten, K. W. (2012). 200 Million Girls Killed in China, Where are the Feminists? Life New.com
Despite the knowledge that the ideology behind Ethics of Care requires a certain ability to hone in on the emotional aspects of an argument, it is admirable that one might explore the complexities that it might bring to a logical argument. Truthfully, relying on emotional knowledge aquired by experience is still somewhat relying on empirical evidence, however, solely relying upon such data can go as far as to skew the original argument presented. Unfortunately, several feminist debates have been undermined by a somewhat hysterical attempt at utilizing emotion as a point of logical reasoning, when, simply put, these actions are not a proper procedure to get ones philosophical standpoints herd. While it is obvious that the human mind is much
“You cannot be a humanist unless you are a feminist. You either advocate equality for all or you are a misanthrope” (Michael A. Sherlock). From women’s suffrage to abortion laws feminism has evolved with contemporary battles and a variety of approaches. The
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.
Women and men have had certain roles in society that were understood amongst them to be specified for their particular gender. Males were known to have the leading role as head of the house hold and the bread winner while the woman’s duty was to stay at home and take care of the house and children. While many people years ago deemed this way of life and practice to be the right and ethical thing to do, times have changed and so this kind of treatment towards a woman’s equality must be questioned. Even though times have changed, this mindset of a woman’s ability to be as good as a man has not completely gone away. In today’s society a woman contributes to the economy and her family as equally as that of a man. Therefore, women should share equal rights and opportunities as their gender counterparts.
Feminism and feminist social theory unlike other theoretical perspectives is woman-centered and inter-disciplinary, hence promotes methods of achieving social justice. The feminism and feminist social theory takes into consideration three questions, what of the women? Why is the present social world as it is today? Additionally, how can the social world be changed to make it more just for the women and all people alike? In recent developments, feminist theorists have begun questioning the differences between women. The areas under question include race, ethnicity, class, age intersect, and gender. In summation, the feminist theory involves the concern with giving women world over voice, and highlighting how they have contributed to the
The “New Woman” refers to a category of women, beginning in the late 19th century, who adopted feminist ideals, wishing to break gender roles and gain independence from and equality with men (Newton, 560-61). While not one specific, real person, the “New Woman” is an overarching term that encompasses the many women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first generation of these women strove for economic and social autonomy with roles separate from the home and family spheres of domesticity (Newton, 561). For example, they would not marry, but instead receive a higher education and work in a profession (Newton, 561). To replace their commitments to men and family, they instead formed close and passionate relationships with other women, though these relationships were not sexual in nature, people viewed women as passionless and pure. The second generation, however, living in a more modernist culture of sexual freedom, began to discuss female sexuality, and wanted to participate in more opportunities only offered to men, including drinking and smoking (Newton, 564). Because of the societal idea that only men were sexual beings, New Women had to explain the intimate relationships among them, which had become sexual in the second generation. Thus, they created the idea of masculine lesbians, who had male souls that caused them their sexual feelings (Newton, 566). The “mythic mannish lesbian” refers to these women who dressed and acted in a masculine manner
When one hears the term “Feminism”, she/he may have the idea that it is the urge and
"People who are liberal thinkers have been enslaved by these poseurs, these racketeers, people who are pretending to be liberal but who are in fact just naïve politically. I have been congratulated by women...who are so sick of being bullied by these sanctimonious puritans who call themselves feminists." --Camille Paglia
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.