No, not the unprintable f-word, but the dreaded one: feminism. What is feminism really? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines feminism as “the movement for the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” Feminism is a lens, a way to witness social injustices happening in our society, and commit oneself to correcting them by working on political solutions. The bottom line, feminism is about gender issues. But, is feminism a movement of the past? Why are women today distancing themselves from feminism?
Although nearly all women agree with most feminist goals and principals, very few would call themselves a feminist. Individuals today, especially the younger generation, have problems with the title. However, few have issues with the fundamental values of feminism. So, why do young adults today not desire to be titled a feminist? Is it because one might be associated with being a lesbian or another social stereotype?
I myself have noticed that several young women nowadays act differently around men than they habitually do. Take my best friend for example, when she is around her boyfriend she acts almost like a feeble toddler. She has him do everything: carry her groceries, hook-up her internet, grab her a glass of water. She then proceeds to appear completely helpless, when in reality I know she is not. However, my friend is not the only female who behaves this way around men. I preformed a little research and discovered that our brain functions differently when we are in love.
http://www.cyberparent.com/love/love-being-in-love-1.htm
However, what I really want to know is where has the revolution gone? The first battle for basic rights of citizenship was discussed in a piece I recently read and discussed in class, “Women’s Right to Vote” by Susan B. Anthony. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many other feminists of the 19th century wrote stimulating pieces of literature focusing on feminism. However, today there is very little written in professional literature on the subject, for our present society is not built on revolution and revolt.
Why are women still being treated unequally? The female payroll is still not equivalent to the male, and I often feel men consider women to be inferior to them. A male friend of mine is constantly making anti-feminist jokes, such as “why are women’s feet shorter than men’s” or “why don’t women wear watches?” Will women ever be held on the same social status as men? Will women ever prove their equality, or will they continue to take this injustice and persist in acting inferior around men like my best friend?
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In my opinion, I don't believe that your friend is acting inferior. I think what she is trying to do is act superior. By bossing her boyfriend around, she has the control, which is exactly what some women think is the way to the top. In retrospect, it's not. Feminists fight for gender equality, they weren't fighting to take over the world.
ReplyDeleteWomen gaining the same social status as men is something I ask myself everyday. It's not like women haven't progressed at all since say Susan B. Anthony's time.
I do not believe that women are distancing themselves from feminism or that they're giving up on it. I think that the prevalance is lower nowadays compared to before. Women are starting to regain the equality they deserve; not in all aspects of life, but in some they are. Think about the women who are making it in the workforce, climbing to the top. Yes, the pay is still not completely equal but the rank, which shows the progress. Women are fighting back, just in more discreet ways.
I agree that people like your friend act inferior because in a situation like that because they think it gives them power and also they get attention. Women today still have a lot to accomplish before they are equal with men. I also agree that most women today don't want to be labeled as a feminist. I know that I personally don't really like it because people usually use it in a negative way. However I don’t think that feminism has died out, people just are not as blatant about it. I believe that women will never stop fighting, until women and men are on a completely level playing field.
ReplyDeleteI believe that sometime in the near future things will change for women. Many women have been standing up for themselves. Many women today are becoming very successful, and are holding high positions like some men today. Look at our politics, look at our companies. Women are starting to takeover (in a good way). Yes, women are still being treated unfairly but in time this will change just like many things have changed in this past century. Many women are taking a stand and this will encourage more women to do the same. It is going to take some time because every human being has to be in comfort zone to do something they would not normally do. The same goes for women, they are not at a comfort level yet to stop acting inferior to men, fight for their complete equality, and completely signal out the social injustice. Women will get there it is just a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that feminism is no longer a part of our society today. Even though feminism is not as widely talked about today, it is still relevant. Now that women all have the same rights as males, there is no reason for riots or protests against the equality of women. Yes, women are treated differently then men. But women are made different. We have different chemicals in our body that makes us act different and look different. Just because we aren't treated the same, doesn't necessarily mean its a bad thing. I think in the future, women will have more of a higher role in society as the years go on, but only within time. I think it is right for women to be catered for, since we are the ones that suffer through childbirth. In time, women will have the status in society that men do , but we will always be treated somewhat differently. Feminism is not dead, but is just not as relevant as it was thirty years ago.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that women agree with the feminist ideals but less and less of them actually want to be labeled a "feminist." For some reason, over the years, being a feminist has received a negative connotation and many of the women feminists are assumed to be lesbians. We all know that this is not the case. Society has started to associate feminism with a hatred of men, when the principles of feminism are really just about gaining rights for women, not tearing men down. When the majority of society considers you to be a sexist when you call yourself a feminist, who would ever want to take on that name?
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the progress that the feminist movement has made throughout the years is being torn down by sexist jokes such as "Why don't women need driver's licenses? Because there's no road between the kitchen and the bedroom." Comments like these are forcing the feminist movement decades behind, to a time when society thought that the only responsibility of a woman was to be a homemaker. In order for the feminist movement to be taken seriously and in order for progress to continue, comments like these must be stopped.
I believe that feminisism movement is defintaley a relevant issue in today's society. Many people associate feminism only with women. I personally thought it was stricly referring to women before it was discussed in class. The definition state that feminism is striving for equalities for both sexes. This term is associated more with females because generally speaking, males are viewied as higher up in the societal ranking.
ReplyDeleteWomen fought hard for their rights in society, but the fight is not over. There are still inequalities in society. Stereotypes are one of the most prevalent problems with the issue of feminism.
However, I do believe that there are differences in men and women with regards to behavior and characteristics that should be recognized, but more importantly respected. I believe that men and women are equal but not the same. Some actiosn and behaviors should be associated more with one sex because of the nature of the person. That is a sweeping generalization so we should not judge others who do not always follow those social norms.
In reference to your friend, her behavior is detremental to the move for gender equality. Some males and females are guilty of behaving differently around members of the opposite sex. Some girls fall into that stereotype and dumb themselves down for guys. Guys sometimes try to act more "manly" and do not reveal their emotions in front of girls. I believe that this topic is more of a relationship issue than one of feminism.
Feminism hasn't become less relevant as I see it, but less radical. And that's because we are closer now to equal rights than ever (that is, it doesn't need to be so radical).
ReplyDeleteIf anything, feminism is more pervasive and accepted now than it was years ago.
Personally, I am an advocate of feminism. But when I say that, it depends on exactly how we're defining feminism.
There's the vast majority of feminists which I side with, and then there are the extreme ones. Feminism is supposed to advocate equal rights for women.
And there's no denying that females still don't quite have the same rights as males. The law says they do, sure, but we look at the statistics and see that the glass ceiling is all too real.
But there are those feminists who come off as too radical. The kind that act as though females should dominate males.
The question is, should we have these radical views to make the final push toward true equality? I believe this echoes the campaigning for African American civil rights.
And then to complicate things, there's the portrayal of females in mass culture. It seems like many often become the trite stereotype- the "damsel in distress" or fall under the category of an overbearing "girl power." The happy medium cases between these two extremes are few and far in between.
Plus, we have to take social norms into account. If and when women finally have equal rights, how will that reflect in our social behavior? Is it still best that we follow the usual routine- say, how the male is "supposed" to pay for a meal on a date?
It's all hard to say. I think that, most importantly, it needs time. We need time to let society adjust to the idea of a female hero, women paying on dates, and women being payed on average the same amount as men. That's not to say that this isn't already happening- but it will take time to achieve true equality.
I think that femenist ideals remain today; however, they aren't seen as completely femenist anymore. They are seen as fact. For example, the idea that a woman could get her own job to support herself used to be simply femenist. Now, for the most part, that idea is seen as a fact. One more thing I would like to say is that women are paid a little less than men, yes. With this in mind, this is a two-way street. "In August 2009, the male unemployment rate stood at 10.9% while that of females was
ReplyDelete8.2%. This 2.7 percentage point difference is the largest unemployment gender gap in the
postwar era." In this day and age, it might be seen as more valuable to have a job period rather than having a job that pays especially well. Do I think this is right. No. Still, we must remember that there's another side of the story.