Feminist Synthesis Essay

The first point in Lorber’s text that I found that was interesting was within the section where she began to discuss feminism’s second and third waves. “Men are thus the first sex, and women always the second sex” (Lorber 3). This point is interesting because it reveals the gender constructs of society. American society, as well as others around the world, are patriarchal and the people (men) in positions of power are focused on keeping the focal point on men and not shifting the focus or power to anyone else who isn’t a man or their version of what a healthy productive male within their society is. In American society, a healthy productive male is a white man. If you’re not a white man who lives in America (or a white woman), you are automatically placed in a lower tier for the rest of your life. If you’re a woman in America, you are automatically placed in a lower tier for the rest of your life, and you have to work three times as hard as a man to survive. This

refusal to give up power is detrimental to every individual in America who is not a white male (or female). This leads to backlash against females when they try to stand up for themselves and get the rights that they deserve. Lorber states this in her next quote. “Feminists… are well aware of the limitations of their positions, given “glass ceiling” and sexual harassment” (Lorber 3). This quote goes hand in hand with the first quote because they both reveal the harmful gender constructs in American society and how these gender constructs are negatively affecting women.
The second point in Lorber’s text that I found that was interesting is when she started discussing liberal feminism and the sources of gender inequality. According to Lorber, sources of gender inequality come from, “Gendered socialization of children, women’s primary responsibility for childcare and household maintenance, division of paid work into women’s jobs and men’s jobs, devaluation of an low pay for women’s jobs, restricted entry into top positions, and limitations of procreative choice” (Lorber 27). The point she made here was interesting to me because, once again, it reveals so much about American society (and others), and how their detrimental to women. Women are believed to be homemakers and are supposed to stay within the home, cooking, cleaning, and rearing plus raising children. When women decided to take jobs outside of the household, society saw it as them breaking their gender role and stepping outside of the box that they were placed in. Society didn’t like this, so in response the glass ceiling was formed, and the jobs that women did take were devalued. Women earn less than men. This is an issue feminism tries to address, which is gender inequality and the gender pay gap. Furthermore, women face issues not only in the workplace, but also in health care. Health care providers look at their women patients as if their stupid and this leads to many women being misdiagnosed.
The third point in Lorber’s text that I found that was interesting was when Lorber began to critique liberal feminism.

“The logical outcome of liberal feminism is a society that is not based on dividing people into two, and only two, separate and distinct sex-gender categories” (Lorber 45). This point is interesting to me because of the way that feminism is generally viewed in society. Many people believe that feminism is man-hating and that the movement is only interested in uplifting and empowering women and taking power away from men. While most of that statement is true, there is more to the goal of feminism than those factors. First of, feminism is man-hating, and while it is about taking power away from men, it is not about leaving men powerless. Feminism is inclusive, and is about equality between men and women, and equality for all genders and people. Society and the media needs to research the core value and what feminism is based on in order to eliminate this bad wrap that the movement is

getting.