Feminist Theory

The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In the past century, gender roles have been challenged because of feminism. The very idea has completely flipped households, workplaces, and the general community and changed it for the better. A plethora of women’s movements were initiated in the 1960’s, and it gave people a look at how powerful women are when we stand united. Feminism has gained many followers in the past thirty to forty years as more people are becoming aware of conflicts pertaining to discrimination. However, there are many that were hesitant both in the 1960’s and in the present day, but for very different reasons. Nevertheless, persistence seems to be a beacon in women’s rights movements, thanks to very strong and level-headed role models.

Throughout history, women’s rights have had less rights then men. In the short story “Trifles,” written by Susan Glaspell, there is a search for the victim of a murder case and the women are discriminated. In the “Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a woman is in a limited lifestyle were her husband, and has to deal with having less of a say in conversation. Constant communication of feminism throughout the world will allow everyone in the world to realize that equal rights between genders are normal. Feminism is a necessary aspect of the human race until society gives equal rights to women so they can feel important when they give their opinion, can have a relationship that is not controlling, and get an occupation that men are controlling.

In almost every society there appears to be a place of gender roles, with women generally being submissive to men in almost every aspect of life. Society has always held a belief that women were inferior to men across all standards, especially their intellect and physical capabilities. Feminism has many different variations and expressions associated with certain cultures or groups of people, but fundamentally they all strive to achieve the same goal. The ideology of feminism has taken a while to unfold due to the surrounding circumstances of laws, social order and the cultural acceptance of male dominance. Gender roles has played a significant part in the oppression of women in almost all cultures; jobs, duties, lifestyle and culture are

In society, men and women serve different task. Usually men do the heavier work, while women do smoother work. Women have a difficult time due to the fact that most men think that women are property, rather than a person. Therefore, women came to the conclusion that they do not want to follow the norm anymore because they know what they are capable of. The term feminism can be defined as women who want to be in the same level of equality in political, economic, and social as men are. Although many people misunderstood the definition, different strategies such as exemplification, comparison and contrast, and negotiation will be shown to help those who are not familiar with this word.

Women are humans, humans with emotions and the need for self expression. The men, throughout history, have degraded the female sex, they have always seen women as objects and a machine that helps reproduce and carry on their blood. Society formed the ‘perfect’ role for women and it was expected that they follow it. They were expected to be the loving, responsible, obedient, stay at home wives. Due to such an inequitable lifestyle given to women, they decided to fight for equality and defend their gender. They will later be known as feminists. According to Literary and Cultural Theory by Donald Hall, feminists focal point is to investigate the various ways women have been limited to social power and the liberty to self

Feminism- The value of women and a woman-centered perspective and the advocacy of social, political, and economic equality for both women and men

Last year, a group of women showed that they didn’t need feminism. These women were against feminism because they felt that women were supposed to be different. Many people that weren’t a part of this group pointed out that the women that were participated in the anti-feminist movement misunderstood the idea of gender equality. According to Supriya Jain, “Gender equality implies that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration, recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men.” In other words, promoters of gender equality aspire to create a world where the differences between men and women don’t define them and who they can become.

From the beginning of time, men and women have always had this slight inequality between them. Men were always looked upon as the “bread winners” and women were seen as the “housewives”. Women were also frowned upon if they did anything that seemed fit for a man only. As a whole, women had no rights and no voice at all. The fascinating book by Zora Neale Hurston called “Their eyes were watching God”, relates to this very feeling of women not having a say so and being ruled by their husband, this is called feminism associated with the feminist theory. Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical discourse. In other words, it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality while examining women’s roles in social life, experience,

Maya Angelou once said, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men (“Feminism”). It is the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power and opportunities as men throughout society. Within a male dominated society, it comes as no surprise that women are often seen in second place. A problem that seemingly led to the emergence of the feminist movement in order to reach gender equality.

Gender discrimination is a topic that has been debated in our society extensively, through research as well as in informal settings. This has been beautifully portrayed in this article. The author says that many things are under a process of change, the sphere, the earth, jobs, weather, ranks, genders, races and sexes. Females are also changing, and therefore feminisms also require changing. Feminism basically is a set of ideologies and movements intended at establishing, defining, and protective equal economic, political, and social rights for females. It has now gained immense popularity among women (Smith, 1987). Any women do fight for their rights. The article is also intended for all such active females who are the strong supporter of feminism. It is also for those audiences who are themselves female and are struggling in their life for their rights and freedom.

Inequality has been an issue throughout history and has affected minorities; as a consequence, there are multiple ideologies and groups that pursue equality. Feminism is a movement that seeks equality between the sexes in all areas (Issit & Flynn). Women have come together to fight for their rights and obtain privileges that were granted only to men. Feminism, according to Quidlen, has worked as a vehicle for change to improve women`s lives. Moreover, it has raised awareness of the issues women face and offered solutions. In spite of all of these improvements and its long history since its inception, feminism still exists and has the same relevance as in the past. However, as with any ideology, people have different perspectives about feminism; just as there are supporters, there are also opponents. Interestingly, while both sides have different perspectives of what equality means, there are ideas and values upon which both groups unintentionally agree. This common ground creates a third perspective; presenting feminism as a more inclusive movement by changing certain aspects of it such as the label “feminism”, in order to show the evolution of this movement. As discussed in the following paragraphs, both pro and anti feminism perspectives have valid arguments that must be explored to reach a solution that satisfies both sides.

From 1848 to 1920, the women’s rights movement demonstrated the first true act of feminism, founded by a group of women rights activists to combat against women’s suffrage in the United States. By the 1960’s radical feminists also known as the woman’s liberation movement once again took up the fight for equality amongst men and woman, yet by the late 1990’s early 2000’s it had begun to change, losing its primary focus of fighting for a woman’s right, and becoming a burden on women today. The blowback from feminism has left todays women to suffer the consequences, as they now find themselves struggling more than ever to keep finical stability, keep a family, and get treated with respect.

Throughout the history of mankind, there has always been a common belief that women exist inferior to men. The Bible demonstrates that God made the first woman Eve from the rib of Adam and God “[does] not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11-15). However, understanding their important role in the family and society and feeling tired of being undertreated by men, women finally stood up for themselves. In the 19th century, the Feminist Movement emerged and completely changed the lives of millions of women in the United States until this day. The Movement provides the new perspectives and protects the rights of women in social and political aspects.

Feminist perspective developed with the ideology that women face large amounts of inequalities in a patriarchal society. They aimed to address and rid the social world of this oppression of women by men. According to Bishop, (2015) “oppression occurs when one group of people use different forms of power to keep another group down in order to exploit them. The oppressor uses the power; the oppressed are exploited” (p. 133-134). Oppression must be by individual experience and not grouped into being the same for all. This includes understanding the original ideology of feminist theory being critiqued as only considering the experiences of middle class, white women. That black women, of lower class experienced oppression much different from the other women. Women are oppressed, thus has to be understood in a different construct that women are similar in some sources, experience of oppression but also experience oppression very differently from one individual to another. Feminist theories have further been expanded do its continuation throughout society and decades to encompass many more issues and arenas than just men and women relationships. Now it seeks to understand and address oppression based on culture, race, class, etc and not only for women but for all. Therefore, Bishop (2014) outlines five components that seem common to all forms of oppression and serve to maintain its presence in society.

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