The Rights Of Female Sexuality

In contemporary 21st century thought, sexual liberty is at the forefront of the feminist movement. Women are taking their bodily autonomy back, and ascribing a sense of ownership back to themselves. This movement to gain bodily and sexual liberty, however, are not new concepts. Philosophers and literary greats tackled these issues prior to the 21st century. Both Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence and Kate Chopin’s short story, At the ‘Cadian Ball and which were written prior to the 21st century and its third wave of feminism. portray women’s sexuality throughout their texts. However, in both novels, the sexuality that is portrayed is confined within boundaries that are prescribed by the men in the story. By writing the female sexuality this way, they are exposing the problematic nature of being able to express a woman’s sexuality, and the lack thereof. Through the focalisation of the narrative as well as plot development of the female characters and their lack of freedom and autonomy in other aspects of their life, the authors make their points clear about women and their freedom, sexual and otherwise.

A livable world is defined from the society you participate in everyday life. We as people make laws and regulations for situations that may or may not happen. This is because humans are imperfect and full of flaws. Laws and regulations are the guidelines for properly living in a society that dictates to the mass instead of hearing individual concern. Then again what is it meant to be “imperfect”? Who designates the description behind being perfect? This is what I believe is “the norm” or normal way of life of a society.

Literature of the English Restoration offers the example of a number of writers who wrote for a courtly audience: literary production, particularly in learned imitation of classical models, was part of the court culture of King Charles II. The fact of a shared model explains the remarkable similarities between “The Imperfect Enjoyment” by the Earl of Rochester and “The Disappointment” by Aphra Behn—remarkable only because readers are surprised to read one poem about male sexual impotence from the late seventeenth century, let alone two examples of this genre by well-known courtly writers. In fact, Richard Quaintance presents ten more examples by lesser-known poets as he defines the literary sub-genre of the neo-Classical “imperfect

When it comes to the gay rights movement, the structure and the history of how it got to where it is today is a huge factor in today’s society. There have been a lot of things that negatively influenced gay rights. In some ways, things have happened in a positive way as well. The gay rights movement today and legalizing gay marriage has struck some people the wrong way because of their beliefs. For the gay community, though, it has been a very positive thing. Some of the big key moments in history went the way they did because of important events and important people causing it to go that way. These include Jeremy Bentham, Magnus Hirschfield, Henry Gerber, the making of the Mattachine Society, Stonewall Riots, Clela Rorex, the Ryan White

Anne Bradstreet (1600’s) and Phyllis Wheatley (1700’s) wrote poetry in two different centuries. Their topics, themes and the risks these women took in their writings are groundbreaking in that they paved the way for women’s rights today. Both women are known as the first published poets of the new world. Bradstreet’s writings were first published in 1650 and her poetry included controversial subjects such as the relationship between a husband and wife, displays of affection, and women who have made their place in society as leaders. These topics were not typical of women who were brought up a Puritans. In fact, the puritans did not approve of public displays of affection.

The reproductive rights of women have always been a hotly debated topic between those who support a women’s right to an abortion and those who vehemently oppose it. The United States Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Roe vs. Wade that it was legally a woman’s right to have an abortion in 1973, and clearly outlines that states “cannot pass laws that create an undue burden” for women who choose to exercise their rights and terminate their pregnancy. Since then, there have been consistent challenges from many states along with pro-life organizations all over the country to find ways to limit and to control the reproductive rights of women. In 1992, even though the ruling of Roe vs. Wade was confirmed in the case of Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, the Supreme Court also ruled that states can create regulations to limit abortions in order to protect the safety and health of the mother and the life of the unborn fetus. The outcome has resulted in several traditionally conservative states including Arkansas, Texas, North Dakota and Indiana passing laws that are cleverly disguised as rules to protect women, but ultimately makes it extremely difficult if not all together impossible for women to seek a legal abortion.

Women have played a defining role in contributing to shaping Canada, as well as the classic Charter of Rights and Freedoms, mainly to promote gender equality which has become the core values in Canada today. Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights fixed in the Constitution of Canada, and is the first part of the Constitution Act. Women’s rights and freedoms are protected under Section 15 (1985) which guarantees equality rights and Section 28 (1985) which guarantees that all the rights enclosed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms apply to both genders; male or female equally. (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982). Sexism has been around for a long time despite these strong regulations, and that too mainly

There is long history of ladies rights on the planet. There is ladies separation from quite a while prior. It has been produced for quite a while, yet there are still victimization ladies. I think numerous ladies are as yet bothered by segregation. How have ladies' rights changed?

The second wave started in the 1960s and proceeded into the 90s. This wave unfurled with regards to the counter war and social liberties developments and the developing reluctance of an assortment of minority bunches the world over. The New Left was on the ascent, and the voice of the second wave was progressively radical. In this stage, sexuality and conceptive rights were prevailing issues, and a significant part of the development's vitality was centered around passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution ensuring social correspondence paying little mind to

Great writers convey their message without bluntly stating it to their audience. Hardy’s insightful poetry conjures the minds of his audience and encourages them to reflect on how inhumane the social classes were and how poorly women were treated without every saying it. Because of its’ simplicity and relatability Hardy’s clever use of an everyday conversation between two women is more powerful than any lengthy lecture or straightforward statement he could have given.

Aphra Behn is not your ordinary English playwright; in fact she was an adventurous young women. Even so, most of her early life is still a mystery today, she has accomplished goals most women haven’t in her time. During her life she’s traveled, severed as a spy and even entertained people from all around. Aphra Behn became a literate role model for later generations of women authors.

In her poem “The Golden Age”, Aphra Behn divides nature from civilization, almost in a biblical sense of Eden and after-Eden. Nature and civilization are separated as a positive and negative experience where love is dishonoured, and sin takes over Earth. Through this before and after division, Behn shows how the fall of mankind led to the oppression of the female sex as woman, associated with love, kept the world pure until man, associated with honour, took over. Thus creating “Pleasure, Nature’s worst Disease” (148). When Nature is overpowered by civilization, gender issues arose. This division of gender issues sets women up to be a tease or object of pleasure rather than an equal lover who is free to her own sexuality. “The Golden Age” presents the fall of natural order with the rise of man.

The opposition is apparent between the two constructs of gender, ‘man was glad a blithe’, (joyful) (155) whereas the princess ‘siked an sorewed swithe.’ (sickened and sorrowed) (156) This disparity underlines the attitudes that permeate this text, considering the atrocity that has occurred, it is sickening to comprehend. Alluringly,

In a time when very few authors - let alone female authors - could support themselves through their craft, Aphra Behn was a well known and highly regarded writer in London. She wrote many plays for the London stage, penned poetry, and wrote what some consider the first English novel (though others consider it a novella or a somewhat long short story). Much of her work decries the unequal treatment of women in her era, and she suffered the consequences of these claims by enduring harsh criticism and even arrest.

“She remembered how, as a young man, she had insisted that women must be obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely appareled. 'Now I shall have to pay in my own person for those desires,' she reflected; 'for women are not (judging by my own short experience of the sex) obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely appareled by nature. They can only attain these graces, without which they may enjoy none of the delights of life, by the most tedious discipline.”