A Woman's Studies Essay

According to the first chapter Untangling the “F” –word in Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives by Gywn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Ray, women’s studies programs were birthed from the idea of feminism. The course began to pop up at different universities across the United States in the 1970’s; the course allows an in depth study of women in social and cultural aspects. Women’s studies courses attempt to explain the experiences and significance of women, which in turn sheds a new light onto the lives of many men and women. Today, the course informs and challenges many men and women to critically think not only in the course but also for the rest of their lives. Feminism can sometimes be misinterpreted, and the ideals of feminism are frequently

Bowles, M. (2011). American history 1865–present: End of isolation. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Question: “Women received the vote based on their contribution to the war effort”. How accurate is this view that women gained the vote based solely on war work? 20 marks

Rights for women has become a norm in today's society that often goes unnoticed by people who life has changed. They often take it for granted the hardship that woman had to endured. For example, during the 1800s African American women were more than likely to be destined to be slaves or indentured servants. In comparison, the first white women settlers were treated as an object of reproduction, as well as servants. In today’s culture women’s treatment has improved over the last decades. The way culture has changed, allowing women to have more power to voice their opinion. From the hardship that woman had to endure, women’s right in the American Culture has evolved, which has led for women to thrive for success.

     During the colonial period, granted the role of homemaker and mother, a woman was the center of the household. A woman was to immerse herself into the home and subordinate herself to her husband. However, as time progresses and the nineteenth century opens, the woman begins to work outside the home and emerges to breathe the air of freedom and self-determination.

Every 98 seconds an American is sexual assaulted across America. 1 in 6 American women have been raped or an attempted rape. According to RAINN 4 in 10 women have had an abortion, while 1 in 8 maternal deaths are caused by unsafe abortion. Women’s rights are human rights, around the world women are being denied rights, here in America women don’t have equal pay, rights over their own bodies are in converse, in Africa and the middle east, girls and women are being stolen from their homes and from their schools. Women’s rights are an important topic because women’s rights are human rights, this should matter to all people because this issue is a social injustice all round the world, that has negatively affected women for years. Women should have the same rights as men because many women face systematic oppression, many women are despotism relation to their male counterparts, and the general population is unaware of the seriousness of the issues.

Before taking this class, I did not know a lot about women’s and gender studies. Reading the different books and looking at the different pieces of art helped me the most in this class. There were many pieces in this class that influenced me to learn more about these women’s and gender issues and reflect on my learning. I spent a lot of time taking notes while reading the stories and relating them to what I have experienced in my life. For example, the graphic memoir we did as a project showed how I related to women’s and gender issues. It showed my struggle as I played T-ball as the only girl on the team. This experience allowed me to compare it to the stories we read as part of the class.

Black women are discriminated against in different ways that not many people would think about. “Crenshaw argues that Black women are discriminated against in ways that often do not fit neatly within the legal categories of either “racism” or “sexism”—but as a combination of both racism and sexism. Yet the legal system has generally defined sexism as based upon an unspoken reference to the injustices confronted by all (including white) women,

Throughout the history of society, women and men both have faced the constricting roles forced upon them, from a young age; each gender is given specific social and cultural roles to play out throughout their lives. Little girls are given dolls and kitchen toys, little boys are given dinosaurs and power tool toys, if one was to step out of this specified role, social conflict would ensue. Contrast to popular belief, sex is a biological construct, and gender is a social construct specifying the roles men and women are to follow to be accepted into society as “normal”. The effects of gender roles have had on women have proved harmful over the decades. Although the woman’s involvement in society has improved throughout the decades,

To the Anglo-Saxons, the most important figure was the ring-giver followed by his band of warriors. In a society in which war was relatively constant and life could be short, the ability to fight was highly prized. Anglo-Saxon women could not fight nor were they expected to. As a result of being left out of the warrior class, women were automatically relegated to the less important roles in society. Despite being second-class citizens, Anglo-Saxon women were able to attain dignity and respect in assuming their roles of wives, mothers, peace-weavers and mistresses of their halls.

The goals of gender studies and feminism in the 21 century were to make it known that girls are a part of the world too. Women since the early 1900’s face gender inequalities; whether it’s in the work place, or in societal aspect. The goal of gender studies is to acknowledge how women were treated in early history of American civilization and how it correlates in today society. However being that that was the main point that feminist groups and gender studies wanted to get across, it wasn’t the only

In history, women have always struggled to gain equality, respect, and the same rights as men. Women had had to endure years of sexism and struggle to get to where we are today. The struggle was even more difficult for women of color because not only were they dealing with issues of sexism, but also racism. Many movements have helped black women during the past centuries to overcome sexism, racism, and adversities that were set against them. History tells us that movements such as the Feminist Movement helped empower all women, but this fact is not totally true. In this paper, I will discuss feminism, the movements, and its "minimal" affects on black women.

Levin writes about the growth of women's studies in academia, what women's studies have done for students in the classroom, why it differs from other courses and why it needs to be assessed to move forward. The first women's studies program was established in 1970 and the NWSA was formed in 1977. Women's studies is rather new in academia but has come a long way since it's start. Women's studies courses are now offered in every state at a variety of different colleges and institutions and are even offered through online courses. Even though women's studies have expanded so much, there is still a lot to overcome and many who question the validity of the field entirely. To further divulge on the growth of the women's studies field we must answer

Annette Bair and Marilyn Friedman have opposing views on whether women have distinct moral perspectives. Like Friedman, I believe that women have no different moral perspectives than men. Some people, like Bair, think that women base their moral perspectives on merely trust and love and men base theirs on justice. Friedman points out that care and justice coincide . People use justice to decide what is appropriate in caring relationships and care is brought into account when determining what is just. Since these two moral perspectives correspond, gender does not distinguish different moral perspectives.

The textbook identifies four approaches to gender development: biological, interpersonal, cultural, and critical. Define each theory. Then answer the following question: which of the theoretical approaches to gender do you find the most valid? Be sure to include at least two examples from your own experience as well as two scholarly sources to back up your claim.