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Women's role in religion
Historical context of gender inequality
Historical context of gender inequality
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In 1920 the 19th amendment was passed which allowed women the right to vote; this was a significant achievement for the women’s suffrage movement. Since that time women have gained substantial freedom and equality, but some today still argue that gender inequality is a relevant cultural topic that needs to be addressed. Conversely, some people believe that feminism is irrelevant in modern society, or they believe the myth that feminism is only poorly disguised misandry. Despite the opposition, many women and men continue to be advocates for feminism.
Ms. Emma Watson, former Harry Potter actress and current Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, defined feminism best when she said, “For the record, feminism by definition is the belief
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Feminist support the fight against human trafficking, support help for rape victims, support the right to equal pay for women, and advocate the belief that women are just as valuable as men. Jesus himself treated women with respect; this is evident in his interaction with the woman caught in adultery found in John 8:1-11. The religious leaders wanted to find fault with Jesus, and they believed he would either choose to let her go, thus breaking the Law of Moses, or condemn her. The passage records Jesus’s wise response, “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (“King James Bible Online”). Jesus also dealt respectfully with a Samaritan woman in John 4:4-42, and he willingly interacted with an unclean woman in Matthew 9:20-22 (“It Is Possible to be a Christian Feminist”). Furthermore in John 3:16 Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (“King James Bible”). He makes no insinuation that he died only for males or that he died only for females; Christ loves us
Whether it is the Ancient Greece, Han China, the Enlightened Europe, or today, women have unceasingly been oppressed and regarded as the second sex. Provided that they have interminably been denied the power that men have had, very few prominent female figures like Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen, or Jeanne d'Arc, the French heroine, have made it to history books. Veritably, it was not until 1792 when Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women addressed the issues of gender equality, that some started hearkening the seemingly endless mistreatment of women. New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1892. The United States did not endorse this until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified, which states “The right of citizens of the United States votes shall not be denied or abridged… on account of sex.” This, however, was not the end to women’s plight. For the majority of the 20th century, America’s idea of a good woman was a good mother and a good wife. In the 1960s and 1970s, a movement that would later bring fundamental changes to the American society was spreading rapidly throughout the country: The Women’s Liberation Movement. With the increasing number of educated women, gender inequality received more attention than ever before. Hundreds of women came together to fight domestic violence, lack of political and economic development, and reproductive restrictions. One of these women was an ordinary girl from Ohio named Gloria Steinem who would later become a feminist icon in the United States. Steinem contributed to the Women’s Liberation Movement by writing about feminism and issues concerning women, co-founding Ms. magazine, giving influential speeches— leading he movement along with...
“Compare and contrast women’s suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early centuries with the European feminist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.” Whereas the women’s suffrage movements focused mainly on overturning legal obstacles to equality, the feminist movements successfully addressed a broad range of other feminist issues. The first dealt primarily with voting rights and the latter dealt with inequalities such as equal pay and reproductive rights. Both movements made vast gains to the social and legal status of women.
The need for women’s rights began back in colonial America where women were referred to as “inferior beings”. This era, though it is not particularly noted for it’s feminist movements, did hold such people as Margaret Brent, who was a wealthy holder of land in Maryland and was a strong, but unsuccessful voice in securing a place for women in the legislature of the colony. It was also a period where Quakers, and many other individuals, such as famous American patriot, Thomas Paine supported the rights of women, but at the time it was not enough to make a significant difference and it wasn’t until the 19th century that women would get the real chance to make a difference.
The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote.
The nineteenth century encountered some of most revolutionary movements in the history of our nation, and of the world – the movements to abolish slavery and the movement for women’s rights. Many women participated alongside men in the movement to abolish slavery, and “their experience inspired feminist social reformers to seek equality with men” (Bentley, Ziegler, and Streets-Salter 2015, pg. 654). Their involvement in the abolition movement revealed that women suffered many of the same legal disadvantages as slaves, most noticeably their inability to access the right to vote. Up until this time, women had little success in mobilizing their efforts to gain the right to vote. However, the start of the women’s rights movement in the mid-1800s, involving leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, paved the path for the expansion of women’s rights into the modern century.
Man-hating and unhygienic are the words typically used to describe a modern-day feminist, but the words that should be used are passionate and righteous. Incomprehension of the meaning of feminism leads to a lack of necessary female empowerment. Feminism, by definition, is the belief in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (Issitt). When women participate in feminism, instead of working against it, they can tackle the everyday issues that try to silence women in society. Women were finally given the right to vote in 1919 and have gained more prominence in society today.
Before the 1920s men and women were thought to have two separate roles in life. People believed women should be concerned with their children, home, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. In 1920 there were significant changes for women in politics, the home, and the workplace. When the 19th amendment passed it gave women the right to vote. “Though slowly to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women were represented local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government.” Now a days it’s normal for women to be involved in politics and it’s normal for women to vote. Another drastic change
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
Although the ideology has noble intentions, the word itself has become taboo and those who identify as feminist are perceived to have the quality of misandry: the hatred of men (“misandry”). This is incorrect because feminism, unlike misandry, is the ideology that all genders should be treated equally in every facet of society (“feminism”). The true definition is absent of the phrase “aiming for equality while hating men.” Though feminism does not imply misandry, much of society is under the impression that misandry and feminism, two very different ideologies, share the same meaning. Emma Watson, the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Women, in an event to launch the HeForShe campaign eloquently stated, “I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has got to stop” (Watson). This movement is not discriminatory toward men, in fact, the HeForShe campaign is actively encouraging the male population to join. Watson addresses the lack of male support in the movement by retorting, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideas” she additionally states, “How can we effect change in the world when only half of it is invited, or feels welcome to participate in the conversation” (Watson). Social change will
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 been 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.
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.
A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.
Throughout the 19th century, feminism played a huge role in society and women’s everyday lifestyle. Women had been living in a very restrictive society, and soon became tired of being told how they could and couldn’t live their lives. Soon, they all realized that they didn’t have to take it anymore, and as a whole, they had enough power to make a change. That is when feminism started to change women’s roles in society. Before, women had little to no rights, while men, on the other hand, had all the rights.
For hundreds of years, women have strived to gain equality with men. Women’s opportunities have been limited due to their gender. Feminism is the fight for equality of both genders due to economic, political, and social beliefs. Feminism is beneficial to all people because it allows everyone to have an equal opportunity in life to achieve all they can without any discrimination based on their gender. The first wave feminism movement was the fight for women’s suffrage and the right for women to vote during the 1800s to the early 1900s. The women of this time period “asserted their rights under the rubrics of rationality, the equality of women’s and men’s souls, the need for education, and the right of the individual to pursue her own agenda independently from others” and not be discriminated for it. “During
The role women play in today’s society is a drastic change from the previous role. Women used to be confined to the superiority of the man. Physically, mentally, and emotionally abused, belittled, embarrassed, and silenced. These are just a few examples of the emotion from the isolated treatment of the past. A woman’s role in today’s society is more valued than ever before.