The Feminist Era

In order to understand the present day feminist movement, one must understand how feminism originated and the basic definition of feminism. What comes to mind when you hear the word feminism? For many, phrases like “man-hater” and “feminazi” have become equated with feminism. However, feminism is quite simply defined as “political, economic, and social equality of

The true feminists of the 21st century are in a constant struggle to be taken seriously, as their name has been tarnished throughout the years with all the misconceptions they have received. “The Women’s Rights Movement has taken an ugly turn in our society creating more of a divide amongst women and less of a unity of strong females” (Nicole. “The Anti-Feminist Feminist.”). The author of this article explains that the credibility traditional feminist

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 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.

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.

Lydia Mason is 57 years old and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She took a Women’s Studies class in 1979 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. At the time, Women’s Studies was the most interesting class out there. It was very popular amongst young people. “Everybody took it,” she said “girls and boys. Everyone wanted to know more about it.” This positive attitude towards the history of women’s suffrage continued until around fifteen years later. Then, the term feminist started to become something with which people did not want to associate themselves. “In the late eighties I would start to hear people say ‘You know, I’m not a feminist, but…’ and then follow it up with something that I personally believed to be a feminist thought. And I still hear that today.”

I had never really thought about what it meant to be a feminist, it was just a role I had unquestionably assumed as I consider myself to be an advocate of women empowerment. After last week’s readings, I began to question what exactly does being a feminist entails, and why the label carries very different meanings and connotations to different people. There is a common misconception that feminists are radicals, seeking to be superior to men. This is rooted in the fact that women today do not face the same struggles as its predecessors; namely, the inability to vote, work, study, and own property, to name a few. It is true that I have more rights and privileges than women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth,

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.

Because women come from all races, social classes, and age, they have been an important instrument in shaping western ideology and the world. Feminism is a broad term encompassing the entirety of the historical movement in the nineteenth century and the philosophical thought leading into the twentieth century (Zophy and Kavenik 206). Although the term wasn’t popularized until the 1950’s and 60’s, it represents the ideology into the modern era. With Woman’s History being a major thread of United States history, it is important we understand the progression of women’s rights, freedoms, and feminism throughout the Colonial Era, the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, and the rise of second and third wave

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

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

Many people who live in America don’t know what feminism is or who is the pusher of this movement. The women’s movement started in Britain by Betty Friedan radical background; Radical, found in 1967 in Seattle which is the oldest social feminist organization in the United States. If you look at the definition of feminism it states that it is for gender equality and support of women; but this movement is one of the main problems in society we face today. This movement’s meaning throws off our natural way of being as genders; it’s so bad that know there’s talk of adding another gender to the world. As men and women we both are important and have our value; but there is no way that where equal, it’s not natural to lie and say men and women

To begin, what is feminism? Feminism has many meanings. Author Kenneth Allan believes that feminism is idea based that is an intrinsic to mankind, especially women, in that they want to feel a part of society and the social structure as well as contribute to social issues or political matters. Allan goes on to state that feminism is the “idea about equal rights of women that began around the enlightenment around 1792” (Allan, 2013). In that time Mary Wollstonecraft was a pioneer of the subject. She sought to shed light on the inequality of women and ways to remedy this injustice. Wollstonecraft also wrote a book about feminism called: “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. This book clearly detailed and showed a link between gender and the discourse of human nature found in the Enlightenment period and brought the issue of women’s rights to the surface for a general debate” (Allen, 2013). Feminism and women’s rights are not a new concept and has at least been a debate for 223 years. Wollstonecraft was not the only women to breach this subject. There have been many early pioneers of feminism such as: Harriet Martineau, Charlotte Gilman Perkins and many more. They all had one goal, in one way or another. That goal was and still is today to achieve economic equality along with sexual equality. Equality has no boundaries in the pure sense of the word. Women simply have asked, marched and protested for their interests to be heard and their

The Feminist thought is old enough to have a history complete with a set of labels: liberals,radical,marxist/socialist, and psychoanalytic ( with the exception of several more). Each school of feminism that’s been considered has offered explanations and solutions for women’s oppression that are rooted either in society’s political and economic structures or in humanbeings’ sexual and reproductive relationships, roles, and practices.

There are many kinds of feminisms and the differences among them are as philosophically interesting as are their similarities. In the present discussion, feminism refers generally to a perspective on society, on social relations, and on oneself; it is a perspective that puts the viewpoint and needs of women, and in particular the inequalities and injustices that have involved and do still involve women in society, at center stage. More than a set of shared beliefs or principles, feminism is an orientation characterized by