Is Feminism Bad For Multiculturalism?

Lila Abu-Lughod also writes about feminism in regard to culture. “ It has been important for most feminists to locate sex differences in culture, not biology or nature,” (Abu-Lughod, p. 144). There have been many cultural differences between women and men, “ a different voice” perhaps from Anglo-American feminist Gilligan and her followers, (Abu-Lughod, p. 145), as well as an explanation of the differences, “ whether through a socially informed psychoanalytic theory, a Marxist-derived theory of the effects of the division of labour and women’s role in social reproduction, an analysis of maternal practice or even a theory of sexual exploitation,” (Abu-Lughod, p. 145).

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”.

The modern definition of feminism: “an ideology that, in its most basic form, directly opposes sexism by supporting gender equality and portraying women and men as equal.” (Finsterbusch 59). This definition was the early direction towards treating women like human beings rather than a housebound body, and this is why feminism should not be viewed as a harmful ideology. By exemplifying the importance of the ideology of feminism, by refuting those who claim that women have used feminism to exploit their personal wants and desires, and by presenting women’s first hand encounters of inequality, case studies, sound arguments and documented research one will be persuaded that the ideology of feminism is not discrimination towards men, but rather an encouragement for a woman’s rights and equality.

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.

Multiracial feminism efforts are to understand the ways in which domination intersects with differences. When referring to differences, this means racial-ethnicity, class, and gender. This has spearheaded women studies to figure how to improve living for all, taking in consideration the differences and challenges women and men alike have faced. To change pre-historic beliefs of feminist universalism and instead acknowledge that we are all diverse but still socially

Multiculturalism is acceptance of different cultural traditions of people from other countries in your country. Before Multiculturalism hit Australia they are very strict with non-European people because they wanted to preserve their British ethno-cultural identity, they implemented a law called “White Australia Policy” which restricts immigration for non-Europeans and limits cultural and ethnic diversity of immigrants which lasted from 1901 to 1973. But after the policy ended, around the 70’s also refugees have started to arrive and this have started the Multiculturalism Policy and today Australia now is one of the most multicultural and diverse countries with more than 200 languages spoken with English being the most common language used. Now is Multiculturalism be beneficial for Australians?

Multiculturalism as argued by Himani Bannerji in "The Dark Side, of the Nation: Essays on Multiculturalism, Nationalism and Gender," (1996) acts like a thin veil that hides European settler-colonist, even racist, ideologies which permeate the socio-political landscape of Canada. Bannerjii applies a Marxist perspective as she questions the notion of multiculturalism in Canada that is separated from existing power relations and social structures (p.110). The author critiques the discourse of multiculturalism that allows the Canadian state to limit its understanding of multiculturalism to “difference” thus neglecting class, gender, sexuality and other social factors while preserving its post-colonial capitalist and oppressive structures. Bannerjii

Feminism is often used as an umbrella term describing many different strains of similar ideologies and movements. It classifies the Suffragette movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique, to today’s initiatives for equal pay. Considering what “feminism” has represented throughout many different moments in history, it is easy to understand why feminists often disagree about what the ideology actually represents. What is the nature of sexism? What qualifies as injustice against women? What is the most effective method of bringing about social change? To better understand these questions, some scholars classify feminism into several “waves”, representing the main goals of feminists relative to the time period.

Taili Mari Tripp’s essay Comparative Perspectives on Concepts of Gender, Ethnicity and Race articulates that within different countries exists two opposing types of feminism Difference feminism and Equality feminism. Tripp places each type of feminism in the context of different countries to measure their effectiveness and compatibility with the pre-existing political landscape and cultural attitudes. Difference feminism refers to a type of feminism that subverts ethnic, racial, and political differences in order to achieve a common agenda. Whereas Equality feminism, supposes that equality of both the genders individually is necessary for true equality.

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.

The challenging and discordant opinions regarding gender equality have origins in various schools of thought, across time and place. Modern feminism heavily borrow from these old ideas and expounds upon them. Feminist worldwide are renowned for the action they must continually take that challenges the negative societal and stereotypical norms

Sadly, the use of the word feminist had tended to bring a bitter taste in the mouth and mind in the past, however, our modern-day culture has managed to bring the true meaning of feminism to light, and

Feminism by definition means the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social and economic equality to men. But many a time’s people restrict the boundary of these forgetting the very important element of diversity of women living in different places and in varied situations.

In this essay I argue that multiculturalism and establishing group rights for cultures is not as harmful to the interests women as Okin implies in her essay, “Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?”. (587). First I will outline Okin’s examples which she uses to frame her view of the control of women by men in their cultures. I will also outline her arguments that group rights and multiculturalism should be viewed skeptically. I will then define multiculturalism. Then I will argue that Okin uses vague ‘tunnel vision’ examples to support her ideas that multiculturalism is bad for women. I will also provide stories and examples in cultures where women are respected.

The basis of the study originated on multiple previous studies with added variables and altered surveys. The research began with a sound base and high reliability and validity. By taking previous information, the researchers were able to revalidate older studies and add new information. This was the first study done with sole female participants; the previous studies had looked at sexist discrimination before, but with males as well. Participants’ race was varied, adding to the external validity of the results. The analysis looked at the variables individually and collectively to produce more information from the data they collected. In addition, they studied private and public feminist identity in order to eliminate issues of construct validity in the definition.