Women As A Feminist Theory

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

Daddy’s princess. Big brother’s responsibility. Daddy’s little girl. Some people view these as a sweet pet names for young ladies, but these verbal cues inexplicitly condition women to view themselves as the property of men starting at a young age. These learned notions may take hold as women begin to develop. As young girls mature, they find themselves striving to please their fathers and other male figures as one of their main aspirations in life due to this conditioning from society. (Rholetter p. 1) The submissive nature of young girls is a common theme in literature, but looking through the Feminist Lens offers readers a better understanding of the struggle surrounding remaining submissive or demanding power occurs.

The term “feminization of poverty” was first created in 1978 in an article that analyzed the economic statuses of women. “In 1976, nearly two out of three of poor persons over 16 years of age were women” (Pearce; 1976). The feminization of poverty describes a phenomenon in which women represent a disproportionate percentage of the United States poor. This trend is not only a result of lack of income, but also a lack of opportunities due to gender biases and fixed gender roles in some societies (DeNavas-Walt; 2012). Gender biases often deprive women of opportunities to independently pursue education or careers and are often linked to the expectation that women are responsible for childbearing and caring for them as well. To better

There are a few different reasons for this phenomenon as illustrated by Gray and Heinsch (2009): “women feel that retirement planning is a male role, and that they will be taken care of; women find existing preretirement planning programs are generic, male or couple oriented, and do not address women’s specific needs and situations; women are traditionally ‘otherfocused’ and place their wellbeing behind nurturing others; and women may not feel they have a locus of control.” It is fascinating that these differences are illustrated, and they really make a lot of sense. The point about how women place their wellbeing behind nurturing others is really key; it is discussed so much in class about how women are often placed with the pressures of caring for their elderly parents or family. It is really interesting that this theme of caring for others seems to follow women up until and through their own retirement, when self-care is truly essential. It is really important as a social worker working with this population that women are reached out to and informed about the

In 2010, 12.9% of women age 65 and above were in the workforce compared to 20.5% of men of the same age group (Tang et al., 2013). Gender differences play a role in work trajectories, employment opportunities, family responsibilities, and job discrimination (Tang et al., 2013). Based on varying roles women undergo a different retirement process than men (Tang et al., 2013). Often times, women are forced into retirement to care for family, have less financial

Women are often and typically compensated much less than men when performing the same type of job. Minorities lack the abundant of available resources in their communities due to the commonly segregated residential area by race, ethnicity, and predominantly class. Children are dependent on a more experienced person to survive, hence children do not normally have

Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.

A common theme has emerged from the past readings. Feminist theory and intersectionality. I have taken some Women’s studies courses before so I am familiar with feminist theory. Intersectionality is trickier for me as I am a white, female, privilege Canadian woman who has not faced any oppressions for what I look like. The only oppressions I face are for being a woman and there is no intersectionality with having only one oppression. I will explore both feminist theory and intersectionality and finish off with battered women's syndrome in this paper as well as talk about my own personal experiences and how they relate to the course.

It is said that the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 is one of the most important events in the history of the Women’s Rights Movement because it “‘unleashed’ the struggle for women’s equality that [continued] into the twenty-first century” (McMillen). The quest for women’s equality has been a hot topic for centuries and have included millions of feminists who share the same ideals, but there have been instances where some women have taken those same ideals and turned them into something new.

I do not believe that the feminist theories offer greater explanatory power regarding differences in rates of males and female criminality relative to traditional criminological theories. According to Kruttschnitt (2013), the basic premise of feminism is the belief that women should be treated equally to men. The fundamental idea of feminism stated that just because the human bodies are premeditated to achieve certain procreative roles, biological elements need not decree academic and social purposes, abilities, and rights. Gender has been the central topic in the field of criminology and studies in the criminal justice. It was believed decades ago that crime was predominately committed by male while the subject of female criminality has been

From Evelyn Fox Keller with her book, A feeling for the Organism to Judith Butler with Gender Trouble and Sarah Harding with her revolutionary work on standpoint theory, the role of gender in science and society in general, has been poked and prodded over the years without any fruitful agreements across disciplines. For the most part, the theories proposed have contributed heavily to feminist epistemology. With oppression and marginalization at the center point of the issues concerning gender and science, in this paper, I will try to shift the conversation slightly to address trust and its epistemic role in science. By understanding the definitions provided by feminist scholars such as Harding and Haslanger, the relation between trust, gender

Basically, much of the problem with modern feminism is that it doesn't strive for equality - it strives for *special treatment for women.* Unfortunately, from what I've read in /r/MensRights (including the subreddit's official lengthy FAQ section), they're just as guilty of the inverse.

Feminism and patriarchy are not words that are unheard of in American society. In fact, it is quite the opposite. From personal experience, I’ve realized that theses words and the issue of women’s equality have been more and more prominent in the media, on social networks, and even in day to day conversations. Feminism, which is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities” is the righteous response to patriarchy, or “ a group or government controlled by men”. The growing interest of feminism among young adults can change the future of America, but we need motivation and support.

When posed with the question “What is woman?” it seems a daunting task to lay an umbrella statement to describe an entire gender. Upon further reflection, however, it seems that this overwhelming inability to answer the question, may in fact, be the answer to the question itself. Within the past two decades Maria Lugones and Elizabeth Spelman, Caroline Whitbeck, Geraldine Finn, and Helene Cixous have addressed the meaning of woman. There is not a concrete answer to “What is woman?” either produced by women or produced through men’s perceptions of women.

Feminism needs to be more broadly defined in terms of gender liberation to encompass individuals from all walks of genders (or nongenders). Separating gender nonconforming issues from feminism is erasive; marginalized gender nonconforming individuals should not be told to fend for themselves and their own rights due to a multitude of oppressions experienced by these individuals (based on the prejudicial gender assumptions the patriarchy puts on them). In all, feminism should encompass gender nonconforming rights because to do otherwise would be to align with the patriarchal system in which feminists are fighting against; including gender nonconforming issues in the sphere of feminism will help strengthen the discourse of general gender equality as has been argued for centuries.