Why Do We Need Feminism: Women’s empowerment

Women come from a long history of oppression and unequal treatment. Much progress has been made throughout various regions of the world by the hard work of processors in the past two centuries, yet women are still struggling for liberation and autonomy today. On a global scale, feminism is relevant and necessary in the 21st century; women are in need of empowerment in everyday life: ownership of the body, reproductive rights, equal pay for work, and participation in politics. Feminism applies to all of the categories listed above, capable of dismantling sexist ideas and rebuilding a world that recognizes, appreciates, empathizes, and values women holistically if exercised appropriately. Achieving women’s empowerment will not only liberate women from oppression, but also provide individuals of all genders freedom, as inequality diminishes gradually. However, it does not place women at a superior position; instead, women’s empowerment promotes greater understanding and of all. Envisioning a better future, one needs to understand the current conditions reality of women and their experiences in the world. By studying the oppression of that women face individually and globally, one will see the necessity of feminism, applying it to an individual level, national level, as well as global level.
Women’s bodies are often subjected to control, objectification, and damage, coming from both self and others. With the expansion of Miss Universe and Miss World, the western beauty ideal is spread all over the world (Atlas, Map 17 “Beauty,” pp. 52-53). The competitions embrace only certain shapes of body as ideal, contradicting the reality that women come in all sizes and shapes. In pursuit of a perfect body, women invest a significant amount of...

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...cision making. Relating to representation of women in the government is the right to vote. In most of the countries that both genders have the right to vote, women are one or more steps behind men, winning suffrage years later than their counterpart. Meanwhile, it is important to keep in mind that in many countries, both men and women are prohibited from voting. Thus, a step forward for women is also a step forward for all human beings.
Around the world, women’s lives and experiences are immensely influenced by the social construction of ideas, restrictions, and laws. A so-called “post-feminism” world does not describe the current condition. In different countries, women share some of the same struggle. However, each individual’s encounters are valuable and unique. Envisioning a better place for women, present issues need to be carefully evaluated and considered.