The Piece With A Bold Title By Susan Faludi

The continuation of gender inequality renders many Americans unable to live the American dream. Women, despite many advances in the last several decades, are still subject to discrimination, especially in the job market and workplace. There is still a substantial wage and general economic gap between men and women, which has jeopardized the possibility of women and female-headed households achieving the American dream in their lifetimes. For example, in the article, “The American Dream is Slipping Away,” David R. Francis states, “For every dollar of net worth of a household headed by a man,

“Look at us! We’re just like everyone else. We’ve bought into the same ridiculous delusion; this idea that you have to settle down and resign from life.” (April Wheeler, Revolutionary Road). It has become a society norm that women are meant to serve housewives; to cook, clean, garden, and nurture children, even though they are much more capable of other things. The role of women is greatly overseen, as they are not perceived to be of their full potential, rather than as societies idealistic expectation. This is because men and those who are wealthy are unable to look past gender and accept women as of equal significance.

Feminism is a theory which begs to understand the nature of gender equality in theoretical or philosophical situations. It would be examined on how the genders work in society, social systems and structures

The period 1940-1975 represented a time of trouble within the United States and overseas. As World War II ended in 1945, many Cold war conflicts erupted shortly after that, increasing social controversy among teenagers, minorities and especially women. During this time period, gender inequality was ongoing in many aspects of life. Women were tired of constantly staying home engaging in domestic activities and were dissatisfied in their roles as “housewives”. The rise of the women’s rights movement was spurred by the growth of women joining the workforce, resentment of being treated as inferior to men, and the rise of unity among women.

Crystal Eastman was an American lawyer, antimilitarist, socialist, journalist, and most importantly, a feminist at the end of the women’s suffrage movements. Her words inspire the women of America. She breathed life into the Bill of Rights as a major leader in the suffrage and equal rights movements in the early twentieth century. Eastman displays several ideas that propel the ideology of not only the roles of women, and their independence in the work force, but also to the men and their role within the home. Through addressing women and their capacity to work alongside men, an impression of equality and identity is given to women.

Women in America were not always perceived as equals to men. It took a great deal of blood, sweat, tears, and most of all time, for women reach the quality of life in todays culture. American women had always pushed feminism, but it wasn’t until the time period around World War II, that equality for women initiated to more than a vision. From the 1940’s to the 1960’s there were several phenomena that nudged society in ways that would improve women’s life and bring forth the women’s movement.

How in the world is an average American going to have it all? Is it even possible to have “it all,” the luxurious car, a dream house, a great career, and a picturesque family? Sure, but someone eventually will have to pay the price of sacrificing a commitment. Arguably, women have a tough choice in between focusing on their career or attending their family. But do men have the same problem? Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Director Policy Planner at the State Department and author of “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” impacted many young and elderly women with her claim. Women were in shock when Slaughter complained about her job because it took too much time away from her family. Nevertheless, women weren’t the only ones offended by this article.

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.”

Towards the end of the twentieth century, feminist women in America faced an underlying conflict to find their purpose and true meaning in life. “Is this all?” was often a question whose answer was sought after by numerous women reaching deeper into their minds and souls to find what was missing from their life. The ideal second-wave feminist was defined as a women who puts all of her time into cleaning her home, loving her husband, and caring for her children, but such a belief caused these women to not only lose their identity within her family but society as well. The emotions that feminist women were feeling at this time was the internal conflict that caused for social steps to be taken in hopes of

The idea of “Feminism” is seen in the eyes of many as “women who want to be more masculine” whenever its true meaning is just women who want equality and the same respect and opportunities that men have. This belief has been built up over time through many different perspectives which is why it had turned into the negative idea of what it is. This idea of “Feminism” affected the social hierarchy and system where people were categorized based upon their sex and the social impact it made created and resolved multiple social issues. The idea of “Feminism” impacted the interactions between men and women and the morals of society and through this created power in women as well introduce a long needed new peace amongst the sexes.

I chose to read “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie because I wanted to understand the meaning of feminism. Adichie discusses the gender roles of men and women. She mentions that women “have a need to prove their worth” due to social and cultural ideas. She also mentions that “women are under the idea of defining their role as women by how we should be rather than who we are”. In other words, women are forced to be and act the way society says they should.

Thesis Statement: The actual meaning of feminism is not that women are above men, it is instead the importance of anti-sexism, and anti-gender discrimination.

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.

There was a stalled revolution. The revolution being the “gender revolution”. The movement has begun again. In the 1920’s we stood idle after gaining rights for women, it took a couple generations to perspire a change. In today’s news mediums, we see that women are tackling obstacles that prevent equality in the especially in the workforce. Through this, women are reshaping the role of the modern woman. In The Richer Sex by Liza Mundy, the author takes us through a time machine to examine the evolving phenomenon called “woman, how she became, or is becoming, the “Alpha Female”. Although in her book she thoroughly analyzes the changes that have occurred because of the advances for the modern woman, her forecast of modern society, in America specifically, does not encompass all factors to produce an accurate prediction.

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