Political Feminism and its Misrepresentation

1149 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Second wave feminism essay

The word “feminist” has caused turmoil wherever it is uttered. It has gained a negative connotation, and is often mistaken with misandry. While these claims may be true for a minimal number of feminists, the truth is that in order to get an accurate representation on what feminists actually believe one would have to go to the source. The two main problems with that, are that first of all, it is “not rigidly structured or led by a single figure or group”, and most importantly there is not just one kind of feminism, there are hundreds in each aspect of our life (Tavaana, 2014). The most under represented group within feminism is the kind that is in the government. Not all have the same theories, and therefore, do not have the same beliefs. However what we do know is that, whatever theory they have, or agenda they follow, they are all fierce promoters of gender equality.
One theory of feminism that exists is the world is “Second Wave feminism” (Mandle, 2014). This is the most known form of it. These were the successors to the First-Wave feminists who primarily focused on suffrage and legal rights in the 19th and 20th century (Burkett, 2013). The fundamental goals of Second Wave feminism are different from the first, since they primarily center themselves on abolishing workplace inequality, such as the proverbial glass ceiling and salary difference, through anti-discrimination laws.” (Tavaana, 2014). The ideals proposed by this kind, were adopted by the government in the form of bills and laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2014). This again, is what one would consider the mainstream feminism.
Another feminist theory is Marxist Feminism. This type of fe...

... middle of paper ...

...org/
Gimenez, M. E. (1998). Marxist / Materialist Feminism. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/mar.html
Mandle, J. D. (n.d.). Identity Politics, Feminism, and Social Change. Retrieved from https://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/identity_pol.html
Oxford Dictionaries (2014). feminism: definition of feminism in Oxford dictionary (American English) (US). Retrieved March 13, 14, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/feminism?q=feminism
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113Stanford University (2007, October 18).
Liberal Feminism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-liberal/
Wolbrecht, C. (2000). Of Presidents and Platforms. In The politics of women's rights: Parties, positions, and change (pp. 23-72). Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.

Show More
Related

  • The Challenges Of Feminism In The 1960's

    1606 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms” (Baptiste). Just as in the past, feminism continues to act as a controversial issue among men and women. In the 1960’s, women finally addressed workplace inequity and created woman organizations to achieve equality. In the early 1960’s, the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act set a milestone for women’s progression towards work equality. Though women have made great leaps towards true equality, women still face many challenges and continue to be categorized as the subservient gender.

    Read More

  • The First Wave Of Feminism

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    Feminism can simply be defined as a range of movements and ideologies in which share a common ground in terms of defining, establishing and achieving equal opportunities to that of males, in regards to economic, cultural and social rights. It is a critique of male supremacy with efforts in changing this to end the social oppression of women. (Hooks, 2000)

    Read More

  • Labaton And Martin What Wave Analysis

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminism is a common topic in the media nowadays, especially because of how many breakthroughs women are making. In 2016, a woman is nominated for President of the United States by a major political party and many science fields are becoming dominated by women. But it appears that many people are not aware of what exactly feminism is. With such a powerful movement, it is no wonder that feminism includes controversies over the exact definition. According to Shaw and Lee, feminism includes two core principles: inclusive and affirming of women and femininity; and equality and justice (p. 13). By being inclusive and affirming, feminism celebrates the achievements of women and strives to continuously provide a positive stance towards women and feminine

    Read More

  • Feminism In Allende's The House Of The Spirits

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminism is the movement for removing inequalities from society. Women imbued with a spirit of radicalism understand that a liberal feminist attitude, despite the seeming slowness of change that accompanies it, may transform a community more rapidly than a revolutionary approach that alienates those to be convinced and, thus, extinguishes the possibility of improvement. (Weaver 49) Feminists confront the problems of their society in hopes of altering society to be equal.

    Read More

  • The Equal Pay Act

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most related terms when women’s right is brought up are feminism and feminist. A feminist, by definition, is someone the fights for feminism. The definition of feminism, one the other hand, is very complex. Throughout history, the word has continuously had bad images and connotations thrown its wa...

    Read More

  • Plato’s Republic: Proto-traditional Feminism and Modern Feminism

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Definition of Feminism in English:." Feminism: Definition of Feminism in Oxford Dictionary (British & World English). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Second Wave Of Feminism

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women have been fighting for equal rights for centuries. The second wave of feminism was a time where women thought their fight for equality was not over, and there were more issues that needed to be addressed and pushed further. In response to the statement “Many women active in the mainstream Second Wave women’s movement believed that they were contributing to changes that would fundamentally revolutionize American society. By the end of the Second Wave, however, some of these women felt that they had failed.” Some feminist activists think they have failed due to limitations and abuse alongside of obtaining the rights focused on in the 1960’s-1970’s. By the time the second wave of feminism began it was already acknowledged that women may have taken a step back into their private spheres up until the 1960’s. From earning the right to vote and fighting for education and property rights, to being brainwashed into thinking their only role in life is to stay at home and be a housewife, led women to be unhappy. “Women wanted more than their husbands, their children and their home.” (Friedan, pp. 279) They wanted more job and career opportunities and to fight for the inequality of women who were employed outside of the home. They also wanted more control in their reproduction so

    Read More

  • Feminist Theory

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    Feminist theory looks beyond the common male based perspectives and focuses on women’s perspectives and their roles within society. The feminist theory is still relevant in today’s society. In fact, feminism and the feminist theory will be relevant for as long as there is inequality in this world. For example, according to the United States Department of Labor, women still make 78 cents for every dollar men make, on average, in every career field. Additionally, violence against women is still a prevalent problem today. For instance, one in three women are victims of physical and sexual violence often committed by intimate partners. These statistics are higher in countries where women are treated and seen as property of their husbands. Lastly, reproductive rights are an important step to creating equality. Laws need to protect the rights of women to have freedom over their bodies in the way that men have control over

    Read More

  • Feminism Case Study

    1821 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, when it is broken down further, it appears that the radical aspect of feminism holds more weaknesses than the liberal side (Ben-Ner 2009). The way liberal feminism promotes the collapse of identity politics in order for men and women to be equal is a realistic goal, and this breakdown process can be seen occurring within society, as is evident by the gradual increase of women within the workforce and the acknowledgement that more women need to be present on specific company boards (Epure 2014). Radical feminism, however, states that social politics promotes the observation of how women are vastly underrepresented within society, and in order to fix this dilemma the social basis needs to be completely readjusted to allow women greater power over men (Thompson 2001). It is evident that this goal is not desired by the majority of the population, due to company boards aiming to employ the same amount of women as men, rather than focusing on entitling women over men (WGEA 2016). Overall, it can therefore be stated that radical feminism is the downfall of the overarching feminist theory, and that liberal feminism provides the most accurate analysis of women’s representation on company

    Read More

  • Intersectional Feminism Essay

    2502 Words  | 6 Pages

    Feminism is a social movement for the advocacy of women’s’ social, political, and economic rights. This movement is necessary because of the common thought that feminism is even considered “debatable”, that the government thinks they can decide what we do with our bodies, that we are deemed incapable of holding professional

    Read More

  • Theme Of Feminism In A Raisin In The Sun

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminism is a perspective that views gender as one of the most important bases of the structure and organization of the social world. Feminists argue that in most known societies this structure has granted women lower status and value, more limited access to valuable resources, and less autonomy and opportunity to make choices over their lives than it has granted men. (Sapiro 441)

    Read More

  • Feminist Political Ideology

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Marxism And Feminist Theories

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Where Marxists are focused on production and the wage gap, Feminists are focused on gender inequality. Marxists see society as operating solely to make a profit for the bourgeoisie, with the proletariat forced to conform to the needs of a ruling class who benefit the most from using a capitalist economic system. On the other hand feminists see society as operating to meet the needs and wishes of men. Patriarchal societies are created in order to meet the desires and needs of men through institutions like the family and the education system. On this basis feminists say women become second-class citizens. According to Gayle Rubin, “there is no theory which accounts for the oppression of women- in its endless variety and monotonous similarity, cross-culturally and throughout history- with anything like the explanatory power of the Marxists theory.”(Rubin

    Read More

  • The Harmful Effect of Feminism

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Feminism is defined as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. It began as an organized activity on behalf of women?s rights and interests. This concept was developed to help women earn a place in a predominantly male society. Unfortunately over the years, the intentions of feminism have become distorted, not only by anti-feminists, but also by the feminists themselves. The principle of equality for women and men has turned into a fight in which feminists wish to be better than men. Feminism has been twisted and misunderstood so much that it has become a harmful idea.

    Read More

  • Feminism And Masculism

    1641 Words  | 4 Pages

    Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of equality of sexes, and I believe, and I am sure all will, that pivotal to the spiritual conception of feminism is humanism; it implies bringing wholeness to the existence of a woman by upholding the eternal truth of the right to dignity for every individual on this earth. Hence, Feminism is a set of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women, and feminists

    Read More

More about Political Feminism and its Misrepresentation

Open Document