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Feminist And Reproductive Right
Society's attitudes towards the disabled
Feminist And Reproductive Right
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“A feminist disability theory extends its critique of the normalization of bodies and the medicalization of appearance to challenge some widely held assumptions about reproductive issues as well.”
In this essay, I would like to focus on some of the main critiques of the normalization of bodies and the medicalization of appearance. Furthermore, I will discuss selective abortion, plastic surgery, and physician-assisted killing.
The feminist disability theory critiques the way society treats everyone with a disability as different, and incomplete. Society wants to eliminate all kinds of human variation. They want to eradicate everything that’s not normal. When people see disability, the first thing they think of is treatment. If someone in
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In the feminist movements, it was often seen the one-sided view, of what a woman should look like. The overall meaning of disabilities has been challenged in the article. In ancient history, especially during ancient Greece, women’s bodies were notified as being that of deformed men. An ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle quoted that “Why to educate women” they are only a castrated male. The society is supporting more to patriarchal parts. The ideology of disability is linked to Gender perspectives in ancient history. This makes me think that is our society change or still, it follows the same …show more content…
According to Garland Thomson “Integrating Disability does not obscure our critical focus on the category of sex, race, ethnic groups or gender nor it is addictive. I would like to focus that, it is hypocritical of the feminist movement to not be co-operative towards the ideas of persons with certain inabilities who are not of the normal population, with an addition of different discriminations which they face because of cultural definitions of normativity.
People with disabilities are known as a failure in terms of formation and development. Women who have to disable bodies are tagged as an incomplete and ugly. They are being dominated and have been discriminated by the society which has happened in past and which is happening in present. I get more ideas to understand about the feminine perspectives how they categorize women body in terms of “ability’ and ‘disability’. Disability is something which will affect us all, sooner or later so studying about it into feminist theory has broadened our collective inquiries, question our assumptions and help us to understand how they are interconnected nature of social
Nancy Mairs, born in 1943, described herself as a radical feminist, pacifist, and cripple. She is crippled because she has multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a chronic disease involving damage to the nerve cells and spinal cord. In her essay Disability, Mairs’ focus is on how disabled people are portrayed, or rather un-portrayed in the media. There is more than one audience that Mairs could have been trying to reach out to with this piece. The less-obvious audience would be disabled people who can connect to her writing because they can relate to it. The more obvious audience would be physically-able people who have yet to notice the lack of disabled people being portrayed by the media. Her purpose is to persuade the audience that disabled people should be shown in the media more often, to help society better cope with and realize the presence of handicapped people. Mairs starts off by saying “For months now I’ve been consciously searching for representation of myself in the media, especially television. I know I’d recognize this self becaus...
Gender has been broadly used within the humanities and social sciences as both a means to categories dissimilarities, and as a logical concept to give details differences. In both the humanities and social sciences. Disability studies has appeared partly as a result of challenges to give details gendered experience of disability and partly as a challenge to contemporary feminist theory on gender which fails to take description of disability. Disabled people have frequently been standing for as without gender, as asexual creatures, as freaks of nature, hideous, the ‘Other’ to the social norm. In this way it may be taking for granted that for disabled people gender has little bearing. However, the image of disability may be make physically powerful by gender - for women a sense of intensified passivity and helplessness, for men a dishonesties masculinity make by put into effected dependence. Moreover these images have real consequences in terms of
In” Disabling Imagery in the media “Barnes asserts,“Disabled people are rarely shown as integral and productive members of the community; as students, as teachers, as part of the work-force or as parents. “(11). Popular culture excludes women with disabilities because they are different. Through Joanne’s character, Nussbaum demonstrates how women with disabilities operate in their daily lives.Nussbaum description of Joanne’s daily routine shows that women with Nussbaum 's character Joanne also demonstrates how women with disabilities are not burdens on
As able – bodied women undergo surgeries to stay within the ideal woman that society wants, the disabled are lead to have a lower idea of their self – image; this makes them suffer physically along with mentally. Feminist has placed their focus on the reality of the Western culture. Odette states that; “… women’s bodies are objectified for the purpose of male pleasure and domination” (42). White, able – bodied, heterosexual men are the reasons why women are constantly fighting to stay beautiful with these surgeries which make disable women believe that is their cure. Disability is seen as a deficit, furthermore, they have to come to the realization that the ideal woman is not part of their experience or within their reach. Women who have physical disabilities are faced with judgment or pity from people they do not know, their families, co – workers, practically anyone who sees them or comes into contact with them. Unfortunately, they are perceived to lack the ability to participate in roles that are expected of a woman; and if they are to achieve this goal they have to do the
...discussion and as Baynton argues, the concept of disability plays a key role in justifying inequality in treatment. This has been shown throughout American history as reflected in the discriminatory practices that has denied women of suffrage, deprived African Americans of freedom and civil rights and prohibited immigrants from entry to the Land of Milk and Honey. Disabilities emanating from race and gender that had since been proven to be untrue or socially construed constitute a case of discrimination. Meanwhile, disabilities in lieu of diversity justify issues of exclusion or differences in treatment in order to accommodate the specific special needs of people with true disabilities.
... the Making of Identities of Disability in Hypatia Vol. 17, No. 3, Feminism and Disability, Part 2, 2002, pp. 67-88. Blackwell Publishing on behalf of Hypatia, Inc.
Contemporary western women frequently limit their physical movement in everyday life compared to men. For instance, they sit with their legs together, take shorter steps, shield their body with their hands and arms and put less effort into definitive tasks (Young 139:2006). Young argues that women behave in this way because the patriarchal environment in which they live teaches girls that they are “physically handicapped in society” (152:2006). This, again, has striking parallels to Dworkin’s work on foot binding. The female body is constructed in such a way that means it is constantly objectified and “gazed upon” as if it were a “shape of flesh rather than a living manifestation of action and intent” (Young 154:2006). This results firstly in women being viewed as weaker, second-class citizens in comparison to men, resulting in inequalities that can be seen in many areas of life. However, most significantly it means that women constantly fail to achieve their full potential. They learn to “actively hamper their own movements” (Young 153:2006), a hugely significant and damaging inequality that results from a rigid and out-dated social
Heiss, Sarah N. "Locating The Bodies Of Women And Disability In Definitions Of Beauty: An Analysis Of Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty." Disability Studies Quarterly 31.1 (2011): 8. Supplemental Index. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
It could be said that in modern industrial society, disability is still widely regarded as a tragic individual failing, in which its “victims” require care, sympathy and medical diagnosis. Whilst medical science has served to improve and enhance the quality of life for many, it could be argued that it has also led to further segregation and separation of many individuals. This could be caused by its insistence on labelling one as “sick”, “abnormal” or “mental”. Consequently, what this act of labelling and diagnosing has done, is enforce the societal view that a disability is an abnormality that requires treatment and that any of its “victims” should do what is required to be able to function in society as an able bodied individual. The social model of disability argues against this and instead holds the view that it is society, not the individual, that needs to change and do what is required, so that everyone can function in society.
Similarly, in Western cultures masculinity is associated to having an able-body, the physically disabled male is often referred to as feminine (Scott, 2014). In Scott's (2014) article he mentions a man named Kale whose colleague asks if the semi-attractive woman was his nurse, Kale called him an asshole and told his colleague it was his wife. This is related to Natalie’s experience of people asking if she is Tim's Mother, sister, friend, or nurse, she explains that no one has ever asked her if she was Tim's wife (Verstraten, 2014). Both scenario's reiterate how society culturally positions men with physical disabilities as “other”, and upsets the dominant understandings of gender performances (Scott, 2014). Additionally, this can be connected to the YouTube video “Shit Able-bodied People Say to People With Disabilities”, questioning and making assumptions regarding the relationship between Natalie and Tim is a complete violation of their privacy. The couple view themselves as role-models due to the lack of support, and not seeing many people similar to their situation. Together they are working to break down the myths and misconceptions that people with disabilities are not sexual beings (Verstraten,
Disability is defined as a long term condition that restricts an individual’s daily activities (Government of Western Australia Department of Communities, n.d.). A disability can be identified in numerous types which are physical, sensory neurological and psychiatric. Due to the assistance with appropriate aids and services, the restrictions experienced by individuals with a disability may be overcome. However, the ways society perceives disability may have a significant impact on individuals living with it and also families around them. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to reflect on the social construction of disability through examining the social model of disability and how it may impact on the lives of people living with disability.
Disability is an topic that has produced conflict, and is viewed very differently from either side. For able-bodied people to truly understand what disabled people go through they need to see disabled people more; see their lives. If seeing disabled people more often became reality, they would be viewed as normal more, and it would make interacting easier for both sides. Disabled people have a hard life, but it does not mean it is not worth living. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson all have physical disabilities, and have written about their experiences and views. In their writings, they touch upon both similar and different points. A very present similarity between the authors is they all play to the same audience. In their messages, both Mairs and Johnson agree that able-bodied people automatically assume that disabled people have a lower quality of life or are unhappy. The strategies used by each author plays to their message, and aids them in getting across their position. Disability isn’t always easy to understand, and these authors help illustrate that.
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.
It’s not until you discover readings such as this that you realize that you have so many privileges that you take for granted. Being a female in a male dominated society automatically leaves your vulnerable to face many forms of discrimination. People with disabilities often get the short end of the stick. The world is designed for people who are “normal” and for those with physical challenges to make their way through in the best way that they can. Because I don’t have a physical handicap, I consider that to be a privilege within
Disability: Any person who has a mental or physical deterioration that initially limits one or more major everyday life activities. Millions of people all over the world, are faced with discrimination, the con of being unprotected by the law, and are not able to participate in the human rights everyone is meant to have. For hundreds of years, humans with disabilities are constantly referred to as different, retarded, or weird. They have been stripped of their basic human rights; born free and are equal in dignity and rights, have the right to life, shall not be a victim of torture or cruelty, right to own property, free in opinion and expression, freedom of taking part in government, right in general education, and right of employment opportunities. Once the 20th century