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The land of the free as it is known today, but is it really free? At least in the beginning of The United States of America, this was not the case. The laws of the nation allowed slavery of African Americans and took away power from women. Women were perceived to be reserved and subservient towards their husbands, otherwise they were not good women. It was not until the early-mid 19th century that women gained enough ground to begin discussing women’s rights in the United States. They gained basic rights for a less subservient life style; marriage became a thing of love not obligation. The second wave of feminism came in the 1960s when women saw the opportunity to become completely equal with men in the United States. The latest wave, the …show more content…
Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a new society in which the claimed male supremacy is eliminated. The radical feminists seek to abolish patriarchy by challenging existing social norms and institutions, rather than through a purely political process (Radical). With this call for a new society in which there is no patriarchy, the radicals are calling for rights that men do not have at the moment and will most likely never obtain. Thus, meaning that the radicals are calling for a truly matriarchal society …show more content…
The first wave of feminism gave women basic rights to make life in the United States better. The second wave brought more intensive programs and acts to bring women to a somewhat equal stance with men. The third wave has continued where the second wave left off, but gave rise to a radical group. This radical group believes that society in the United States is patriarchal and that women are always the victim. The radicals even call for more rights than men in the United States, while women in Middle Eastern countries continue to suffer being subservient to men. Feminism in the United States has met its end for all practical, equality purposes. It is time for the less fortunate women of other countries around the world to join feminism and gain equality for a better
While women continue to be ranked as the weaker sex by popular opinion, feminists have bright hopes in a change towards their liberation. As Rebecca Solnit stated, “feminism has just started and it’s not stopping now. We are witnessing a full-fledged war, not of the sexes but of gender roles”(Solnit). Feminism and the right to equality has been a long and arduous struggle for women before the Civil Rights Act. The Feminine Mystique sparked a change, questioning society, which continues today as women fight for equal treatment regardless of laws that claim for their protection. Feminists will continue to fight for the day where women will be treated as equals, where there will be no gender bias, and for the day when a woman can state her mind, just as her male counterpart, without being called an uptight
The 1960s cultural movement in the United States sent shockwaves through American society. Nearly every aspect of traditional life was challenged and among these was the role of women. Following in the footsteps of suffragettes during the turn of the twentieth century, a new wave of feminism was emerging in the United States that aspired to take the women's right movement beyond the realm of constitutional rights. This movement, now known as second-wave feminism, sought to bring what they viewed as true gender equality by focusing on a number of issues that negatively affected women. The second-wave accomplished much, but there is a historical consensus that it came to an end during the eighties, giving way to a third-wave of feminism in the early nineties.
In the United States there have been three waves of women’s rights movements. The first movement was called the women’s right movement. This movement was mainly focused on white women and their right to vote as well as hold office. (Wood, p.62) The second movement was the women’s liberation movement, also known as radical feminism. This movement mainly impacted college students because college campuses were a great place for radical feminism to emerge. The radical feminists protested the Vietnam War and fought for civil rights. The women in this movement risked their lives and physical abuse just like the males did. (Wood, p.64) The third wave of feminism in the United States was known as third- wave feminism. In this movement woman with different ethnicities, abilities, disabilities, classes, appearances, sexual orientation and gender identities came together to fight for their rights as women. (Wood, p.74)
The radical feminism focuses more on gender. Women are oppressed because they are women. Radical feminism aims to defeat and/or contradict patriarchy and start promoting a radical or a reform of the society. This theory is basically about women trying to recreate a new form of society where dominance is not for men alone.
The image that is usually placed with feminism is that of a rabid, bra-burning, lesbian running around disclaiming the patriarchy. It could be that of a mid-century housewife complaining about how her only career choices are between teacher and secretary, or even of a woman with a sash and banner walking in front of the White House; preaching about her right to vote. However, this isn't necessarily the case. Ever since the rise of the internet, in the late 20th Century, feminism has had a revival causing it to grow in popularity and spread across forums everywhere. Women are joining this “third wave” movement to bring an end to the societal injustices that still plague the gender today (qtd. in Haslanger et al.). Feminism currently represents much more than it did in its infantile stage, having evolved to include relevant issues that affect every woman in today’s subordinating world. Issues such as rape culture, slut shaming, abortion and the wage gap have all been adapted into the feminist agenda with the hope that, as a united force, women could bring change to a misogynist society. The bra burning days are over, and feminism is on a rise, bringing light to issues that need to be addressed.
The first wave of feminism is more commonly known as the women’s liberation or women’s suffrage movement. First wave feminist’s main concern was in political power especially in terms of the right to vote, having a voice. They believed that changes within society could be made gradually within society to achieve equality rather than having to demolish the way things were and reconstruct them.
Today’s America is being overrun be people who believe in change, people who think that every individual should be brought up with the exact same conditions, no matter what their physical or psychological differences. People who use term “politically correct” whenever they perceive an injustice toward someone because of the orthodox way of life in America that has remained constant for decades. Now, these people, these feminists, want to change everything because they think people (more specifically, woman) have been getting the short-end of the stick for years. Now, these feminists are infiltrating our government, corporations and schools, slowly assimilating individuals into their group. The patriarchs of this society (that is those who believe things should stay as they are) are allowing this to happen because of fear of what the feminists might present against them.
The goal of the first wave was to open up more opportunities women including being able to vote. The second wave of feminism occurred from the 1960s to the 1980s. This wave predominantly revolved around the wage gap, sexuality, and reproductive rights. The passing of the Equal Rights Amendment which was an amendment proposed to the United States Constitution guaranteeing social equality for both genders was a priority of the movement. The third wave of feminism began in the 90s and is still ongoing. This waves main focus is on patriarchy. Unlike the previous two waves, politics is not the main focus although it is a huge factor, third wave feminism is about breaking gender boundaries and old conceptions of what men and women should be. This wave is also all inclusive as I have mentioned before which is the biggest difference between the second and third wave. The third wave of feminism has redefined what the movement is, it used to be about politics and women only, feminism is now much
Patriarchy creates a social division. It is often used to describe the power between a male and a woman. This idea is important in Radical Feminism. Seen as the root of female oppression, Radical Feminists recognize that patriarchy is everywhere. Radical feminist came about because they were not happy with the course of action taken by the first wave of feminists. Radical feminists wanted a revolution, not just reform; they wanted to do things their way as opposed to following “the system”. So they came up with their own theories that fit their way of thinking and often were at odds with the reformer feminists...
The term “feminism” tends to have a negative connotation in today’s culture. Feminism is now focusing on female dominance and male disrespect. Women are fighting for equality, yet using personal bias to define equality, claiming identical rights for all will produce an equal culture. The mainstream feminist movement is using this corrupted view of equality to force rights of women. Contrary to popular belief, true feminism fights for true equality for women, as well as other people groups. The false view of feminism causes women to distort gender roles, dishonor themselves, and degrade men.
Throughout history, women have remained subordinate to men. Subjected to the patriarchal system that favored male perspectives, women struggled against having considerably less freedom, rights, and having the burdens society placed on them that had so ingrained the culture. This is the standpoint the feminists took, and for almost 160 years they have been challenging the “unjust distribution of power in all human relations” starting with the struggle for equality between men and women, and linking that to “struggles for social, racial, political, environmental, and economic justice”(Besel 530 and 531). Feminism, as a complex movement with many different branches, has and will continue to be incredibly influential in changing lives. Feminist political ideology focuses on understanding and changing political philosophies for the betterment of women.
The feminist movement helped earn women the right to vote, but even then, it wasn’t enough to get accepted into the workforce. They were given the strength to fight the journey for equality and social justice. There has been known to be three waves of feminism, each wave fighting for a different issue concerning women’s rights. Laws protecting sexual assault and alimony would be enacted, and women were now allowed custody of their children in divorce cases.
The major differences between liberal and radical feminists stem from their separate ideas about the differences between the genders that the framework that these ideologies are built upon. For liberal feminism, they hold that
Feminism seeks equality amongst men and women and to eliminate sexism, which is the degradation, oppression, and subordination of women (“What is Radical Feminism?”). One branch of feminism, radical feminism, concerns itself with the idea that society is influenced by a patriarchal or male dominated hierarchy. Radical feminists tend to focus on culture change that undermines patriarchy and associated hierarchical structures. Under this principle, the patriarchy can be described as "the division of rights, privileges and power primarily by gender, as a result of oppressing women and privileging men (“What is Radical Feminism). A radical feminist essentially believes that they are oppressed on the single ideal that the gender of a woman is inferior and it can be considered that to alter one 's gender would be a radical feminist
Even though society has distorted the ideals feminism was founded upon, some of the remaining true roots still hold true. While women are gaining equal opportunities in society, they need to not diminish the importance of working together with men to form a functional society. The widespread idea of quotas needs to be analyzed. People should be accepted into college or hired for a job because they are the most qualified, not because of their sex. Society has demented feminism as a harmful dogma because it has been an excuse, almost a cop-out by women who do not want to work for their acceptance. Both men and women need to realize the necessity that exists for each other to make society work.