The Influence Of Radical Feminism On Law

However, whilst each ‘strand’ of feminism views patriarchy differently, it could be argued that rather than considering patriarchy as three different entities, they are in fact each observing a different angle of the problem. They are all in agreement, nevertheless, that women are indeed subordinate to men within society, and that this needs to be changed. Therefore, in terms of the core theme of patriarchy, feminism can be considered a single doctrine.

In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay.

First, it is imperative that one knows what exactly patriarchy is: “a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women” (“Patriarchy”). Any social structure where men outrank women, where men are provided with an unequal increase in opportunities, or any system that instills stereotypical traits, or gender roles, falls under this category.

In this essay I will address and examine the various historical steps in the American legal system that contributed to the momentous women’s suffrage movements in the 1960s and 70s that allowed women to become sui juris citizens in their own right. Despite its failure to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures, the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment by Congress in 1972 served as a clear marker of progress and liberation for women’s rights in America. It wasn’t until the turn of the late 20th century, however, that women were allotted anywhere near the same rights as their male counterparts, largely due to the fact that the American legal system embraced coverture. Under coverture, a married woman’s political and legal identity was subsumed under her husband, stripping her of being able to live as a fully enfranchised citizen. Politically speaking, American women had endured a long tradition of being treated as subordinate class citizens, spanning from the early revolutionary era up to the late 20th century. Encouraging women to attend college and pursue careers simply wasn’t in the scope or agenda of mainstream American society. By and large, women were viewed as housekeepers and child bearers, all the while battling to attain enfranchisement throughout the twentieth century.

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 is a very popular and controversial concept in today’s world. Feminism is a range of ideologies as well as social and political movement all aiming for a common goal to define, establish and achieve equal rights and position to women legally as well as socially. The people with these ideologies are commonly known as FEMINIST. Feminism theory is not only about understanding but also to take action. Naturally people expect women to be related to the idea of feminism and be a feminist rather than men. Men have taken part as significant cultural and political responses within each wave of feminism movements.Feminist men have also argued alongside scholars that liberation of men from the socio cultural constraints of gender roles and sexism is a significant part of feminist activism and scholarship.

I agree with this definition of patriarchy, but like another definition which is, that patriarchy is a social structure in which individuals create and reproduce inequalities linked to sex, race, class, religion and any other differences. Sociologists see patriarchy as that cultural system that is based on the values of control and domination, in this system white men are the only full humans, while other men from different race and eventually other women are not full humans; they must seek to get the privileges of white women. Allan Johnson describes patriarchy as “a system what fuels competition, aggression and oppression, is a dynamic relationship between control and fear.” Johnson emphasis that we live in patriarchal social systems of group-based oppression, there are different grounds of oppression which lead to the separation of this society between people who are privileged because of this oppression and others who are unprivileged. In some cases, white women are considered to be privileged because of their color, while they are unprivileged because of their gender that they are oppressed by white

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.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière’s Tartuffe satirizes the role of women in an irrational patriarchy. Tartuffe, a hypocrite who claims his evil intentions to be religious, finds his way into Orgon’s household and family which he intends to take away from him. Orgon is blind to Tartuffe’s actions and refuses to hear reason from his family until it is almost too late. Through this play, we see Elmire, who differentiates from other women around her.

Patriarchy is a term that can be described as male dominance, making women inferior to men. Men and women always played in different roles in society, which causes controversy if we still live in a patriarchal system today. Men were always seen to be the alpha males and breadwinners of the family to ensure there was a steady income while women were known to be housewives taking care of the family. Being a woman in America has brought so much awareness to oppression and how women have been oppressed by men for years. Black women have been oppressed by white supremacy and they are constantly being stereotyped. “Women are animals, less than human, unable to think like men, born merely to breed and serve men.” Oppression can cause radical conflicts

In this essay I will be talking about how feminist have contributed to our understanding of family roles and relationships. There are several different types of feminist theory, but all of them share certain characteristics in common; there is a fundamental division in society between men and women, that women are to some extent exploited by men and that society is male dominant or patriarchal this means “rule by the father” but is used by feminist to indicate that men have more power than women and the interest of men largely shapes how society is run. They believe that these theories are also critical of existing sociology arguing that it has a pro male bias. They call male-dominated sociology malestream sociology calming that most

By evaluating the situation and lives of women in society, the feminist perspective is defined as a source of social inequality, group conflict and social problems. For feminist, patriarchal society is the foundation of social problems. The patriarchal male dominated society where women are meant to justify the rule through devaluation; however, the definition of patriarchy has dominated the powerful group expanded to include the social devaluation of the power rating (Leon-Guerrero, Anna, 2015).

In Maria Mies book, the Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale she uses capitalist-patriarchy concept to symbolize that retains women’s oppression and exploitation (Mies, 2014). The oppression and exploitation of women have long been carried out in the world, and have won recognition in some heated discussions. According to Mies (Mies, 2014), the feminist movement is discussing whether it is necessary to mention such a system of male domination, in which the suffering of women today in many societies is patriarchy. The term patriarchy clearly implies the father's rules (Geddes, 2012). However, in today's world, male dominance exceeds father's rule, including male bosses, husbands, and authority in many social institutions, whether economic

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

It is difficult to imagine living in a world without the patriarchal roles that are present in society and have been throughout history. In the article “Feminist Criticism,” by Lois Tyson, the idea of feminism and how society has affected feminism is the focus. These ideas are seen because men have more of a voice in nearly everything and the oppression of women is very common; a society set up like this can be described with the term patriarchy which is “any culture that privileges men by promoting traditional gender roles,” where men are cast as “rational, strong, protective, and decisive,” and women are cast “as emotional, weak, nurturing, and submissive” (Tyson, 1). This thought that men are strong and women weak is not uncommon in